The Sario Effect
by Vickie1
Summary: "Someone's found out our secret." A fanfic about time travel paradoxes and the unlikely alliance of two individuals the Animorphs didn't expect to have. It will be tackling ideas related to Yeerks, Anadlites, character interactions, the brain, oppression, and so on. Revamped from the original direction. Summary in chapter. Discontinued. Look up RE:Animorphs for revamped version
1. The Beginning

**MEGAMORPH**

THE SARIO EFFECT

* * *

 **W** e were careful. We've kept this secret since the beginning. But someone's discovered it. A kid came to us at the site - the very same place it all began - with a blue dodecahedron object too much like the box. She's a Controller. And she wants us to keep that device safe.

We don't know how. But she and the Yeerk in her head are dangerous with our secret. And _something else_ wants the device too. It won't stop until it gets it, even hunting us. Things get even stranger, like we're not where we're supposed to be. The only thing Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, Ax, Marco and I know is that she and the Yeerk know what on Earth is going on.

The only problem is that they don't remember us anymore.

* * *

 **ONE: JAKE**

* * *

My name is Jake. That's all I can tell you about me.

They can't know where and who I am, that I'm just an ordinary kid. Or else they'll hunt me and my friends down. Even our families. We have to keep living because we're the only line of defense for this planet.

Except that the Yeerks are invading Earth.

What are they?

They're parasites that enter a person's head, wrap themselves around the brain and take over complete control. Small slugs that will make you do whatever they want you to do. And you stop being a true human being. You become a Controller.

You can't move your arms or legs. You can't scream out of that nightmare. You're trapped. Your voice, movement, everything about you are the Yeerk's. The Yeerk is you now.

Sounds ridiculous. A slug like that? Probably. But, they've already enslaved half of the human population for the war against the Andalites.

The Andalites are, in a way, the good guys. They are another race fighting them, a sorta mix of a deer, human and scorpion. But they can't help us right now - not when they have their own battles right now. Only the six of us are fighting the Yeerks.

Sounds like a losing fight from the start. But we're not without an advantage. We have amazing powers and we're doing everything we can to save this planet.

We're the only hope Earth has. Yeah, that sounds a bit high and mighty. And I realize it's not very reassuring. Just five kids and an alien cadet against the invasion, and their leader, Visser Three.

I try not to think about our odds. Keeps me going through the days.

We can't trust anyone but ourselves. You can't, either. Anyone could be a Controller: your family, friends, even your next door neighbour. They'll act normal to you, passing small talk and all you can do is watch them, knowing they're not them anymore.

They took my brother, Tom. They've taken my best friend's mom as well. They've done unthinkable things and torn lives. And we're the only ones who can stop them.

If anyone finds out about us, then we'll take drastic measures. Even if the Controller is a human.

We have to keep living. Which was what we were doing that day.

"Hey, Jake, phew." Marco came tumbling towards me, out of breath. He immediately straightened up with a grin. "Ready to leave?"

He did something, didn't he?

No. Don't ask. Today is supposed to be normal. No life-threatening missions to worry about. That was why we made plans to go to the mall. Less about Yeerks, more about teenage life.

I told all that to myself.

But...as the group-appointed leader, I had to ask my best friend. The wits of this group and one who gave the name, Animorphs.

"What did you do?"

"What? Me? Nothing." He lifted up a cooler. "Just got the drinks. You know, for Beach day! "

"You tried to hook up with a girl, didn't you?"

"Gaagh!" Marco jumped. Right behind him were Rachel, my cousin and Cassie, her friend.

Rachel is the pretty Teen Fashion model type, though she's not what you'd call dainty. More like touch-me-and-I'll-break-your hand kind of girl. Cassie wasn't frilly either. Or boisterous. She wore demin overalls and a plain tee shirt. She's black and I kinda **like** her a lot.

"I was right." Rachel crossed her arms.

"Really, Marco. We've not even gone to the beach yet," Cassie said, holding the newly bought blanket.

"I'm gonna take a gander and say her boyfriend chased you away."

"Well, I think she was interested. But her friend she was with wasn't having it."

"And why would she be so keen on you asking her out?" Cued in Tobias, with Ax eating a cinnamon bun.

Tobias used to be the gentle type. He used to get bullied at school. Now he was a red-tailed hawk, living as a human for two hours at a time.

We were given a warning when we first got the power to morph. Never stay in morph for more than two hours. And in our first mission, Tobias had been forced to break that rule. He'd gotten back his morphing ability and previous human body. That's a long story.

Since then, he'd lost that gentleness. Now, he had kind of an edge to his posture that still seemed a bit...off.

"Is it unsuitable to ask the opposite sex?" Ax asked. "Sooot. Taa. Beeel. Beeel. I ask many questions to both Rachel and Cassie. Kass. Casssssieeeee."

"That's because you're nice and we know you, Ax," Cassie said.

Yes. Ax is weird. Because he's not a human like us.

He's the only Andalite on the planet and in their native forms, they communicate through thought-speech. Human mouths are something of an oddity as far as Andalites are concerned. So when Ax is in human morph, he has a bothersome habit of playing with sounds.

"I...um." Marco hesitated. "I kinda asked her out once and stood her up. Her friend. Not the first girl."

"Jerk," Rachel sniped.

"We were dumping oatmeal in the Yeerk pool, Rachel."

"Oh."

"Look, guys. This Animorph business is killing my love life. Back me up here," Marco begged.

"I'm staying out of this," Tobias immediately said.

Marco turned to Ax, his last hope. Instead of an agreement, he was forced to step back when Ax got too close to his personal space.

"Did you get the cookies? Coooo-keeeey. Cooo. Keeeeey."

"Yes, we got the cookies," I answered Ax, holding up one bag. My job today was getting the snacks. "Cinnamon-flavoured."

Marco frowned in defeat. He was asking too much there.

"Marco, we didn't come here for you to flirt. We're here to prep for Beach day."

"Which I did. See?" He directed Rachel's attention to his bag of drinks. "I'm not unprofessional here."

"Uh-huh, right. When have you ever been professional?" Rachel rebuked. "Anyway, we're done on our end. Really, Cassie. One of these days, you gotta let me look into your wardrobe."

Cassie frowned. "I'm fine with what I have. What's wrong with my old one anyway?"

"Lots of things! One, it's outdated and two, this is supposed to be our time-off from saving the world. So of course, we need something special?"

"What is this? Is this another dress or something?" Marco blurted out.

"Swimsuits, duh. Why else would you go to the beach for?" Rachel explained. "I had to literally drag her through the department to find a fitting one."

"I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life…" Cassie moped. "Jeans, I don't mind. Swimsuits are just too tiring to me."

"Nothing more embarrassing than our first sneak into Zone Ninety-Nine?"

"Still doesn't beat it."

"Oh, come on. Cassie," Rachel said. "We've finally accomplished our goal in getting you a swimsuit. And all flattery aside, I think it looks really great on you. I'm sure you'll easily catch the eye of a special 'someone'."

Cassie huffed out a sigh with one peek at me before looking away, cheeks red.

Cassie. In a swimsuit.

There was an annoying lump in my throat that needed to be swallowed. I mean, anything Cassie wears, she still looks beautiful-I mean, nice to me. And I've seen her in swimsuits before, just with a shirt on top.

The longer I stayed silent, the longer I could feel Rachel's smirk on me.

I cleared my throat. Change the topic, quickly!

"Come on," I said, picking up the rest of the bags. "Let's go."

"Before Marco sees another girl to flirt," Rachel rebuked.

"I really didn't do anything!" Marco hollered.

"Sure, you didn't."

So that was us, heading out the doors. A group of misfits, walking together until we'd split up later and head home.

"Whoa." It was kinda too late before I bumped them but I quickly caught them by the arm before they tumbled. A clanking sound dropped at my side "Sorry about that."

I wasn't sure if they were a guy or girl. The face looked feminine but the body said otherwise. I'm also guessing they were like one of those rebellious teens from our school - streaks of their dark hair dyed blond.

The two most noticeable things about this dark-skinned kid were their headphones with orange sponges and jacket, zipped up and way too baggy for them. I briefly saw the number, '7' printed in bold on the back.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

The kid did look a bit dazed from me nearly shoving into them. Instead of getting angry at me, they went to pick up what they dropped.

Looked like a coin.

"Not talkative, are you," Cassie said with a kind smile.

The kid with the jacket never said a remark at me so we just carried on-

"Heads or tails?"

We stopped. And turned back.

"I'm sorry?" I asked.

The kid persisted, looking back at me with a brooding face. "Heads or tails?"

That was an odd thing to ask. I didn't know what to say so I glanced over to the others.

"Don't look at me. She's asking you," Rachel pointed.

"What is this? Those kinds of backstreet games or performance acts down at the docks?" Marco uttered.

The kid was waiting. I could just not answer and we could just leave but it was just a harmless question.

"Heads."

With a swift flip of the thumb, the coin went up - that metal sound singing in the air - and down onto their palm. They were fast with their hands and at the end of it, they peered under the fingers.

"Hm," the kid answered out of amusement. "Guess today's your lucky day."

"Uh, thanks?" I guess I got heads. And I guess that was a nice compliment.

Hey, with everything we've done so far with the Yeerks, I say we'd deserve some luck for today.

"247 out of 741."

"What?"

"247 heads out of 741 coin tosses," they repeated.

That was a very random thing to do. All I could say was "Okay?" before they decided to head inside, leaving us...bewildered.

"What a weird guy," Marco said. "Or weird girl?"

"Don't worry. You and Ax still take the cake in weirdness, Marco," Rachel rebuked.

"I am honored to hear that, ma'am," he droned, posing like a soldier getting his badge proudly. "But looks like I need to up my game then, he droned. "Can't let Ax win."

At least, the walk was normal. We made small chat here and there, about everyday things. Some Andalite terms Ax threw into the conversation. It was almost what a normal afternoon should be.

I almost forgot how often we used to do this...before we found out about the invasion. Now, we rarely do it.

The normality nearly distracted me from everything else until I realized then where we were heading.

"Huh," The moment I said that, everyone else stopped and noticed.

Well, minus Ax. He had never taken this route before. This particular road was only familiar to the rest of us.

"Isn't this going down memory lane?" I said.

"Wow, we haven't been here for a long time," Marco uttered.

Everything was still the same. The same side road, the same broad open field and the same empty and abandoned houses nearby.

Nothing had changed.

"We never had a reason to go back," Cassie added nostalgically. "Not since that night."

"Yeah, but if we had…"

Marco let it hang, he didn't need to say it. The blue cube that had given us all our powers, we had thought it was destroyed when Visser Three killed Elfangor. It had been found by a kid instead.

Had we come back here once, taken a look around, we would have found it instead of him… Things hadn't gone well after that.

"Well, what's past is past," Marco shook it off, gazing up. "This place didn't always have bad memories. And obviously good ones. Think we'll see a spaceship?"

"Heh," I softly laughed. Now that would be a sight to behold.

Rachel scorned instead. "Don't joke about that, Marco. You're only asking for it-"

"Um. Guys?"

It was Tobias who first saw it. He was looking up too, more eager to jump back to his hawk morph and take off.

Then he was dumbfounded. Eyes wide, mouth gaping. He pointed straight up, finger shaking.

I followed the direction. It was my turn to be shocked.

It started off as a small blink in the sky. Then it grew bigger with a trail behind it. A flash of white light shooting across like a rocket.

This was a joke, right?

I rubbed my eyes just to be absolutely sure. But it was still there. Neither I nor Tobias could say it. Marco was too stunned to throw a joke in order to break the eerie silence. Rachel kept jamming her finger at the...thing, words just failing her.

Ax didn't pay attention. He was still licking his fingers on the cinnamon powder with relish.

Cassie was the only one who would say it. Just like before.

"N-No way," she started. "Is that a ship?"

* * *

So I have an explanation why this fanfic has gone through changes. Truthfully, I felt a bit saddened from the lack of response I was getting after the prologue that I had thoughts of taking it down. Because I really thought no one liked it.

I would like to thank Artisan219, writer of the Animorphs Reboot #01 for stopping me and giving me the motivation to dissect, revamp and improve the story. I honestly couldn't have gotten here and would have removed this fic entirely without his help and motivation. I also want to give thanks to several friends from the Animorphs Facebook (I won't include their names unless they want to for sake of piracy) for supporting me too.

The story plot is pretty much similar - but I've taken out what was probably the problems for readers and rewriting chapters. So From the prologue up to Chapter Four have been revamped. My pre-done chapters after that will also be edited if I see fit but granted, it's a different take on what my plot originally was gonna be.

I'm honestly still unsure if anyone will like it. So I'll give a bit more detailed description about it. See if you will be interested. This fanfic is of course, about time travel paradoxes, both human and alien kind, and the unlikely alliance of two individuals the Animorphs never expect to be forced into. It will be tackling ideas related to Yeerks, the brain, oppression and so on.

And the cake is this one question I asked myself that sparked this story - what would it be like if a Yeerk and a human would have to cooperate together to overcome their own problems?

Moreover, I cannot thank enough from Artisan219 for helping me. So I want to shout out to you guys to check out **Animorphs Reboot #1** (since FFN is a butt with links, you can search it up in Archive of Our Own). It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl while you're waiting for the next two chapters, which will come in one go this time.

I do hope you'll like this version better. And I welcome feedback, if I'm still doing the same problems as I did before.


	2. The Enemy

**TWO: JAKE**

* * *

A ship.

I felt like this was all unreal. Again. Like this was the start of a bad joke. And that's usually Marco's doing.

My first thought was, oh no, not again.

My second was help was coming.

"No way. Could it be...?" Rachel couldn't finish her sentence.

But it had to be. No doubt about it. All of this was all too familiar. We've waited for one year and finally, our plea was answered.

I was cracking out a smile.

The Andalites are coming-!

"It is not a ship."

And just like that, our hopes just shattered. Something you'd see in a comical cartoon. We wheeled around, almost certain that Ax has somehow been hiding his own sense of humour and took this opportunity to show it.

If it really was a joke, that hurt. So much.

He was still licking clean the last remaining taste of cinnamon, ignoring the fact we turned to him for an explanation.

"What?" Marco blurted, like he was slapped across the face. "But that's a flash in the sky! The exact same one we saw last year! How could that not be a spaceship?!"

"The fuel color is different. Diii. Fuuur. Fuuur," he pointed straightforwardly. "So it is not a ship."

Some details were a bit foggy to me, even if the memory was still vivid. But he wasn't wrong.

Brilliant blue-white light.

"Ok then. What is it?" Rachel demanded.

"I believe you humans call it an airburst on this planet. It is simply a meteor breaking out from your planet's atmosphere. Moss. Fear. Ear."

"A meteor?"

The bright light dipped further away, disappearing beyond the trees, houses and cityscape. Gone.

No little spaceship slowing down to land on Earth. Just a piece of rock that died out before it could reach the ground.

"Ah...heh heh." There was disappointment in Cassie's weak laugh. "So it was just a meteor…"

I could easily read the faces. It was obvious we were upset.

We had been waiting. One whole year for the Andalites to finally come. Finally put an end to this invasion. So we could stop fighting and go back to our normal lives.

Fine way to have that small moment of hope be snatched away by some galactic fireworks...

"Geez, it really made me think of that day," Marco groaned, yanking at his fringe like a wake-up call.

I looked at my hand. The very hand that touched the side of a small blue cube. And I gained power on that day. The same went for Rachel, Cassie, Marco and Tobias too.

"It was the day you met my brother, correct?" Ax then asked.

"Yeah," Tobias replied softly.

We became quiet…

Instead of an airburst, a spaceship from beyond came to Earth on that day. Inside that ship was Ax's brother, dying. We knew his name. Elfangor.

Back then, Ax wasn't with us. It was the five of us when Elfangor gave us our power at the side. So that we could fight the Yeerks.

We didn't want to. But we didn't have a choice. So we accepted.

Then Elfangor...

I bit my lip. The memory was still fresh and dark. Even after a year.

"...Can you..."

We turned to Ax. He had a yearning look.

What he asked surprised us.

"Can you show me...where my brother died?"

Our eyes widened. We looked at each other - how should we do this?

"Ax-"

"Hey, Ax-man. Don't do this to yourself," Marco cut Cassie off but shared the same concern she had.

"Yes. I understand..." We could tell. Even if Ax didn't know how human expressions worked, we knew. He was struggling. "But...I need to see it."

"Are you sure, Ax?" I asked. I didn't know what were the customs Andalites have when in grieving. Like if they had a graveyard or a Viking funeral. "There won't be anything there." I tried to choose my words carefully.

This was his older brother. He wasn't there to witness his brother's death.

I mean, how do you say no to that? If it were me in his spot...if it was my brother who died and I never knew…I'd want to know. Even if...

"It's not going to bring him back."

Ax reluctantly nodded. "I know …but..."

He looked at us with a stern face.

But he quickly became sad.

"Please."

This was the first time Ax has ever sincerely asked us for something important. We couldn't say no.

"Alright," I said.

So we walked.

The construction site wasn't too far from where we were. But the nearer we got, the more tensed I was, thinking back at that night.

I was preparing myself for the worst. A Hork-Bajir. Or a group of Controllers still looking for a bunch of kids who saw the lights in the sky.

I wasn't that scared kid that night anymore. I've gone through a lot in one year. I knew how to fight.

But the moment we turned around the corner, there it was. Closed up and abandoned with police tape left there. No spaceship. No Hork-Bajir. No Controllers.

No Elfangor.

Rachel heaved in a deep sigh. "We haven't been here since that night."

"How could we? We were terrified," Cassie pointed.

"Terrified, crying for our mommies," Marco added. "Peeing our pants."

"That was you," Rachel retorted.

Ax walked in further, maybe a bit faster than usual. He looked at his surroundings. Top to bottom.

"This…" His voice sounded strained at first. "This was where you found Elfangor?"

"Yeah," I said.

"...And where he fought Visser Three?"

"All the way to the end."

"He wouldn't give him the chance," Cassie added.

We didn't see his face. Only his shoulders hunched up. Like he was proud to hear that. Then they sunk down.

"That...that is good…"

There was nothing else to say between us. Just the sound of the faraway traffic.

"It's been more than a year," Cassie broke the silence. Her smile was small but it grew wider, slowly spreading towards us like an infection.

"Man, a year. We've been through a lot of crazy stuff," Marco said. "How are we still alive?"

"I still remember what you said," Rachel droned. "Idiot teenagers with a death wish."

"Ah, but now we're idiot teenagers and an alien cadet with a death wish."

"I beg to differ," Ax protested.

"On the idiot or death wish part?" He shrugged with a relaxed grin. "Still, we've gotten out of worse things on top."

I couldn't deny that. We've had our moments. We disagreed, got into danger on a regular basis and somehow, we managed to pull it off. It actually made days like this that more special.

A whole year of an adrenaline-filled, terrifying, fur-feather-covered roller coaster ride. But there were also some good times. Short. But still good.

"Yeah…" I said-

 _FLASH!_

(Where did you find that dodecahedron?) Ax demanded once more.

The Asian-American girl calmly shoved the blade away from her throat. Unfazed by the sharpness. "How should we know? This is the first time we've heard of this device."

(B-But you're the one who brought it to us!) Marco hollered.

"Why?"

Good question.

"We are your enemy."

 _FLASH!_

"Jake? Jaaake!"

"Huh?" I jumped. Rachel was suddenly standing so close to me with a slight annoyed look.

"You spaced out there. You ok?"

Ok?

Was I ok?

No.

I knew what I saw.

"Looks like we have company," Tobias informed.

Sure enough, behind us was a kid standing at the site's entrance.

My body stiffened. I shouldn't worry about what I saw right now. There was no telling if this was a Controller passing by. I glanced at the others. They nodded, knowing what I wanted them to do.

"Alright, enough sightseeing." Marco ringed his arm around Ax's neck. Just act normal. "How about we go get you something yummy? That always cheer you up."

"All the time, you mean," Rachel added, trying to perk up. "Plan to invite him over to dinner?"

"Dinner?" Ax's eyes glimmered brightly. "Do I get to eat a lot of food like I did at Jake's house?"

"Now look what you did!" Marco barked. "Ugh, wonder if Dad hasn't called in takeout yet."

Even as we were leaving, the kid didn't move. I realized closer that she was a girl.

Not like Rachel or Cassie on first impression. Her clothing wasn't extremely causal or extremely fashionable, just right down the middle. The most noticeable things I spotted were a knit cap over her medium black hair and a yellow-black zipped parka. Almost mistook her for the kid back at the mall because of the jacket.

I...glanced...at...her face...

The hair on the back of my neck stood on ends the longer I looked at her.

She wasn't familiar. Never seen or met her before. So I shouldn't be scared of her. She was a complete stranger to me.

But she looked chillingly like the girl from my 'vision'.

No...she _was_ that girl.

"Wait," Cassie said. "Aren't you El?"

"El?" Rachel uttered, sounding like she also knew her. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.

The girl gave a hard stare. Like she was on a very important mission.

She was staring at me.

"Hey, Jake. Are you alright?" I heard Marco.

I couldn't stop shaking.

Why was the girl from my vision here?

Why did I even have a vision of this girl?!

And there was one thing this girl said in that vision.

 _We are your enemy._

"El?" Cassie asked. "Are you ok?"

It was only then I noticed the wrapped bandage around the girl's legging. It had a small red blotch. Her clothes were dirty and torn. Did she hurt herself?

The girl, El, didn't reply. She took a deep breath, as if preparing for the worst.

"You saw it, didn't you, Jake?"

W-What-

I nearly tripped back as my mind was desperately trying to understand.

 _How-when-what?_

"Jake?" Rachel called.

There was no way this girl should know that. I only _just_ got the vision!

"H-How…" My voice was so soft. I had to fight it. "How did you know?!"

"Jake, what's up with you?" Marco pushed.

I was causing a scene. I know. The leader losing his cool, something I never let the others see.

How could I be calm?! And why was _she_ calm?

Say something!

At the corner of my eye, Ax stepped back.

Something wasn't right. This all could be another Yeerk problem. That should have been my first thought.

But to me...all this didn't feel like that.

This eeriness. It felt...wrong.

"So, El. What's up? How's your great uncle?" Rachel asked, stalling for Ax.

"We're not here for chit-chat," El cut short. "We need to talk to you."

"We?" Tobias repeated.

"Ok, sure. We can do that-"

"All of you. Tobias and Axmilli included."

Rachel froze. So did all of us.

"W-What? We don't know those names," Marco's voice was breaking with as much forced laughter as he could muster.

Sure, this could be a coincidence. If Rachel and Cassie knew her, she was probably from school. But the problem was she _knew_ Tobias and Ax. They've not always been out in public with us. Not even at school.

"Say, El. Where...did you hear those names?" Cassie asked carefully.

"This isn't the first time we've met."

Then the girl shook her head. Her face changed to a stiff expression.

"No. It isn't the first time we've met you. This is the first time you've met us."

All of this was getting weird. Her voice became different. Like this wasn't the same girl five seconds ago.

"Okaaay, maybe tone down the creepiness," Marco said, waving down his hand. Then he turned serious. "Now explain yourself."

"We're sorry. We don't have enough time," the girl said in her normal voice. Then it switched again. "You're the only ones we can turn to."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Rachel demanded, her tone rising.

No reply. Instead El opened up a packbag.

My jaw dropped again. All of us couldn't believe what we saw.

Inside the bag, the light was at its brightest.

Sky blue.

It was both familiar and foreign in design. Like a certain box that gave us our ability to change into animals.

It was shaped like a large 12-sided die, big enough to be held in both hands.

"W-What-" Marco was speechless. "Why-"

I thought this day couldn't get any eerier. But _this girl_ said these exact words that took the icing right off the cake.

"I'm a Controller," she said. "And you have to keep this device safe."

* * *

As promised, 2 chapters together since they are both relevant to each other and by Jake's POV. It's a bit sad FFN limits a lot of things like the Andalite symbols and tab space. If you guys like, I have a nicer version at Archive of Our Own under the same name.

Hope you guys will enjoy this much better than the last. I'm still debating whether to upload the third chapter since it's already up in AO3. I'll probably do it tomorrow if I do.

I welcome feedback. I probably have some bits here and there bit wacky so please point out anything that bugs you.


	3. The Threat

**THREE: RACHEL**

* * *

"Wait. What?"

That should have been my line. But it came from El, who looked shocked that she said that.

I knew El from school and her family's restaurant. She was an upbeat, cheery kind of person, but that's about all I knew - besides her great uncle, the owner of the joint.

And suddenly, she told us she was a Controller.

One. Ok, I should have bought that. Anyone could be one. Two, why did she tell us?!

No, back up! A lot of things needed answers. Where did she get that box? How did she know Tobias and Ax? What was going on here?!

(Yeerk!)

Before we realized it, Ax had already demorphed. Mouth shrivelling away, front legs sprouting out and the eyestalks were out.

The tail blade fired at El.

"Ax! Wait!" Jake ordered.

"V'trix, stop!"

Suddenly, El pulled out a Dracon beam from her bag and pointed straight at Ax. The strange thing was, her right hand immediately lashed onto her left wrist and pulled it down just as Ax stopped his attack mid-fire.

El kept a tense, emotionless face but both hands were quivering. Fighting actually.

El really was a Controller.

All the smiles, the small talks, the laughs...those were not hers. Those were the Yeerk's.

I tightened my fists. This whole time, El was our enemy. Just like everyone else. And if she was going to stand in our way…

Fine.

(Drop your weapon, Yeerk,) Ax demanded.

"No," El suddenly rebutted. "You will not listen to what I'll say, Andalite."

That tone again. I've never heard El speak that before. But it gave a chill on my back.

"Ax, stop!" Cassie pleaded. "El, what's going on?"

El's expression changed again. So did her voice. This time, regret. "Look. I know it's a lot to take in-"

(Silence, Yeerk!) Ax snapped. (Cease your stalking.)

"Ax, wait-," Jake uttered.

"Wait for what?" I hissed. "This Yeerk's here ready to have herself ripped out of her."

"V'trix's not the enemy here!" El hollered.

I knew this Yeerk's game. Pretend to be her so we wouldn't hold her down. "That act isn't going to work on us!"

"V'trix isn't controlling me," she snapped.

That was a stupid attempt at lying. I almost wanted to laugh.

"A Yeerk that isn't controlling a human. Yeah. When pigs fly," I muttered.

"She's not. Completely," El confessed. "But she's not the main problem."

"So you're a voluntary host?" Marco pointed.

"Do not make assumptions, Mar-," the second tone stopped mid-sentence. "You don't know us, human. Or anything."

"All the more not to trust anything you say."

"Now, hang on!" El hollered. We've surrounded her - Cassie was reluctant at first but blocked an exit. The only thing preventing us from diving in on El was the Dracon Beam, switching targets.

Jake didn't join us for some reason.

"We're not here to fight you!"

"Then give us a reason," I snapped, ready to morph at any sight of an escape.

"Ok, leader. What's the plan?" Marco asked.

We waited. Nothing.

"Jake!" Marco whispered.

(Prince Jake, this Yeerk knows about us. We cannot let them go.) Ax was already in his full Andalite form, the tail blade ready for a whip. (She also possesses that device.)

"Is it the box, Ax?" Tobias whispered.

"It is not the Escafil device."

The second tone cut Ax off before he could thought-speak his reply. His wide eyestalks shot at El.

(How do you know about that?!) Ax demanded.

"You told us, Andalite."

(Lies! I did no such thing. Tell us about that device.) The tip of his blade pointed close to the blue device, peeking out from the gap of the bag's zipper. (Where did you find it?)

"We can get our answers out of her now," I proposed. "Marco and I are enough for her."

"Wait, wait! Hold it! Just listen to us!" El pleaded with wide eyes and a shaking, open palm. "Even if we could explain, there isn't enough time."

"Well, you're gonna have to make time!" I barked. "Jake! Come on. She's right at our doorstep."

Why was he stalling? He's been so unnerved even before El came to the site.

"I understand," El suddenly spoke in that second tone. "You have as many questions as we do."

"Ha! Yeah, right. This is some ploy you Yeerks are planning."

"No. Right now, we are asking the Animorphs to do something."

My heart shot right into my throat. How much did this Yeerk know?!

"Where did you learn that name?!" Marco yelped.

"Why we know that isn't important-"

"Isn't important? You come waltzing in like we're pals. You're out of your mind-"

"Oh my god. Marco, I'm going to punch you if you don't shut up!"

Marco jumped back meekly from her outburst. El's right hand had balled into a fist, prepped to hit him.

Her left pushed it down and El took in a deep breath, before giving us a brooding face.

"We have something far more dire than just your secrets and ours. If nothing is done, all of our lives will be in danger."

Dire? Ours were already at stake with this one Yeerk!

"What do you mean?" Cassie asked.

"She means it for herself," I interrupted. "Where are your friends? Are they hiding to give us the jump?"

"There is no one but us-"

"Shut it! If you know who we are, then you know what we can do to you."

"Geez, was I dumb." It was a faint grumble from El, giving an annoyed face.

Yeah, gonna agree with you there. El's Yeerk was dumb to come here.

El sighed deeply before straightening up, looking smug like any Yeerk would do behind a human's face. "Please."

It was one word I expected to hear, a Yeerk pleading.

"This one Yeerk is only asking you for three things. If you fulfil them, then I will forfeit my life to you."

But that, I wasn't expecting!

El's eyes widened. "V'trix-!"

Her head then shook. "I am a Yeerk. I won't deny that. But we are here to talk. That's all."

"Isn't that pretty much a tall order for your life?" Marco asked. "Didn't you just say our lives were in danger, yours included?"

She pulled another surprise from her sleeve.

"...My life is far more insignificant than those of my friends," she explained. "If it's enough to save them...then, that is good enough for me."

"So you do have more," I hissed.

She said nothing. Not even a confession where her allies were.

I was hoping that Jake wouldn't buy this. Yeerks are the enemies and he knows that! They needed to be wiped out for good!

Whatever she was going to ask, wasn't going to be good.

Instead, like the level-headed leader he always is. "Okay," he started. "We'll listen. So put down your weapon-"

"No." The Dracon beam quickly aimed at Ax. "We know well enough two of you want blood. Until you agree not to endanger this human, I will not step down. That is one of my requests."

"Figures," I barked. "You're trying to put us in a loophole here. We don't hurt her, you stay unharmed inside her skull."

"Hmph." Was that a laugh? "I've already put myself on the line many times before coming here. One more doesn't matter."

She smiled. Sincerely. Like a thought was entertaining her. Then El returned back to her cold facade.

How many times was this Yeerk going to spin us around?!

"And what if we don't?" Jake asked. "You're going to tell your people about us?"

"No. I only want her to be unharmed. She is my friend."

"Ha! That's rich," I muttered. "Don't make me puke."

The Yeerk was unmoved. No, it changed. El glared at me angrily. Oh, don't give me that.

It changed again. "I will not expose your secrets to the Yeerks. You have my word."

"And what makes you think we'll believe you?" Jake asked.

"Because we know you saw that vision."

"Vision?" Cassie repeated.

Jake didn't give an explanation. He freaked out again, not as bad as before. Like the Yeerk somehow read his mind.

"Jake, is there something you're not telling us?" Marco asked.

He kept quiet.

"You have to realize where this is going to go," the Yeerk said.

"This is just more mind games." I turned to Jake. "We don't have to listen to her-"

"Fine."

Jake! Seriously?!

He secretly waved a hand at me. I didn't like it but Jake has never done anything to jeopardise us.

"We won't harm her," Jake answered. "Now put your weapon away-"

"First, the Andalite. I still don't trust him one bit."

(I don't recall ever giving you such leeway, Yeerk.)

"And you never will. Your thick-headedness never ceases to amaze me."

Ax arched his blade angrily. (I will acknowledge your boldness for coming to us. But it is testing my patience.)

"Good." She smirked. "This is revenge for touching my tools."

Ax looked confused. Why was she making it like he met her?

"V'trix," El then spoke in her normal tone. Her expressions switched about until she sighed again and pitched away her Dracon Beam. Ax lowered his tail at Jake's command.

"What's the second request?"

El replied easily, lifting up her bag. "For you to protect this device."

We stared at her like she was crazy. She was dead serious.

"We're giving this to you. That's it."

"Giving? Or do you mean bribing us?" Marco pointed.

(If this is a device you stole from my people-)

"Enough of your stubbornness, grass-suckler," the Yeerk uttered. "If you want to know where this came from, you'll have to find that on your own."

Ax jumped, insulted. (Grass-suckler?!)

Marco cut in. "What's the catch?"

"That you will be able to save yourselves. You _need_ to keep this device under protection."

He rubbed his forehead like a mirgane had hit him. "This has to be a trick."

"It isn't. No strings attached."

"Do you really think we were born yesterday?" I uttered. "Just stop this show."

"This isn't a show. And for your info, we didn't ask for this!" El hollered in her normal tone.

"We?" Cassie repeated.

"If this was a trick, then why are we here?" El pushed. Normal voice. "Why do we know you when the Yeerks shouldn't?"

I bit my lips. Were we blown from the start?

"You...you could have overheard us," Marco said.

"No. You told them-I mean, you will tell us!"

Then she spoke in the different tone. But not to us. "This is pointless. We're going around in circles."

"I totally agree with you," Marco droned. "Now get to the point. We've about had enough of this."

"We...we can't." Back to the first tone.

Can't or won't? Ax pushed, the blade snaking close.

"We can't! We don't even know! If we did, we wouldn't be here. We would fix it!"

So this _was_ the Yeerk's fault.

"Giving this device to you is the only solution we can think of."

She was convincing, I'd give her that. From the 'heart', if Yeerks had one. Ax and I weren't falling for it. Cassie, for sure, was. Marco was skeptical and Tobias was quiet.

Jake was wary. But he wasn't rash.

"You asked for three. What's the third request?" Jake asked.

"That all of you stay alive."

Alive. Alive is one thing we want to be. Hearing that word from an enemy just taunts us. That the next second, we'd turn up dead.

I wasn't going to give her that.

"That a threat?" I spat.

"What? No! It's not what you think!" El uttered in her normal tone.

I wouldn't listen to anymore bull from this Yeerk. "Consider your third request fulfill. We'll stay alive by taking you out. Now get out of El so I can squash you!"

"No." She scowled, ready to defend herself. Of course, the Yeerk would go back on her word.

I grounded my teeth. This was getting on my nerve. "You don't have a choice, Yeerk."

El tried again. "Look. We know you don't trust us-"

"Of course, we don't!" I shouted, feeling the bristles sprout out from my cheeks. My teeth were getting sharper and that forced her to step back. "What makes you think we'll take any word you said? If you think we're going to dance to your crap, you got another thing coming!"

"Rachel, calm down," Cassie pleaded.

El didn't flee at the sight of someone changing in front of her. Instead, she held her ground. "Just listen-"

Want to play, Yeerk? Fine! I'll give you another push, I thought.

"No. You listen to us! You're gonna tell us everything! Get out of her head or I'm gonna do it myself-!"

"Oh **_shut up and listen to us, Rachel!_** "

 _Thud!_

I stumbled back. So did the girl, grabbing her head.

"Rachel!" Tobias uttered.

I was too shocked to reply back.

She headbutted me. This Controller headbutted me!

Even if my head was throbbing, I was ready to let loose.

But I stopped. Because of that face El was giving.

She was still holding her head but she was glaring at me. Pure frustration. Pure fury. Ready to give me a whack like an animal forced into a corner.

Like a human would.

We've seen how Controllers really acted behind the scenes. The Yeerks show their true colors, hiding the fact you can't see the terrors people had to endure locked up in their mind.

El, she acted too freely.

"Look! We're from the future, alright!" she yelled. "That's all you need to know!"

And then I became irritated.

 _Are you being serious?!_

"I'm sorry. What?!" Marco hollered.

El then looked regretful. "Ugh. That sounds so stupid coming from me now..."

Her eyebrows then hunched as she brought her left fingers to the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. What possessed you to say _that_ when I specifically explained the whole causality issue fifteen minutes ago?"

El suddenly frowned angrily, outbursting, "Agggrh! Here!"

She shoved the bag into my hands. Just like that.

"Take this device somewhere safe," she said and stepped back. Hands down. "You can't let anyone get it, no matter what. Not the Yeerks, not even that thing!" She was five, ten feet away until she stopped. "You _have_ to protect it."

I wanted to yell. Are you kidding me?! You headbutted me! You think I'm gonna do what you want?! I should have just morphed into a bear and clawed her!

But the bag was in my possession.

I glanced at the blue light peeking out. It felt heavy and solid through the fabric. There was a faint, peaceful hum coming from it.

It was real. No joke about it.

I couldn't wrap my brain around the idea a Yeerk was giving this to us. From what?

"This is why we are here," she explained. "Now morph and get out of here."

"What?" Jake uttered. So she knows about our morphing powers.

Her tone and expression changed again. "Everything will be explained in time. But not from us."

"Oh no! You're going to explain now! Without this cryptic stuff!" Macro demanded. "What do you mean the future?"

El changed back again. Was the Yeerk switching places with her? "We don't have time! _It's_ still looking for the device!"

"It?"

 _CLANK!_

Everyone jumped. We searched for the source, a grinding and creaking metallic sound.

But there was nothing.

"No," El gasped and dove for her Dracon Beam.

 _FWAPPP!_

(Don't move.) Ax's blade was an inch to El's face. We will not be deceived by your tricks-

"There are no tricks!" she hollered frustratedly. "Get out of here! It can't have the device!"

"What is it?" Jake demanded. "What's here?"

"Just go and-"

 _THUD!_

She couldn't finish her sentence. She was gone. Went flying into a dirt pile across the site.

Four red glowing eyes suddenly appeared right before me.

I froze. Everyone froze.

It was just eyes. That's all. Something was there but there was nothing - no _body_ , no _form_.

I couldn't _see_ what it was.

( _ **Mode switch: analysis. Six new biological subjects targeted.**_ )

My blood ran cold.

There was a bellowing, husky voice that sounded like it came from nowhere. Distorted with other indescribable sounds, like a mixture of animal and machine.

It was in my head. Our heads.

That...was that thought-speech?

Marco clamped his hands on his mouth tight. One yap and it was over. Even Ax, an Andalite warrior, was visibly shaking.

( _ **Databank: human. Andalite. Adolescent age. Morphic adaptability detected. Threat level percentage: 6.09%**_.)

My fingers were turning white on the bag. My teeth chattered loudly.

I hated this feeling.

( _ **Mass energy signature of multipurpose cortex detected within proximity.**_ )

The ground shook as the eyes snaked closer. A clicking sound was vibrating inside my skull.

Shut up! Shut up!

( _ **Give us the device**_.)

The voice. It was unnatural, artificial. It didn't belong here. It shouldn't.

( _ **Give it to us.**_ )

 _SHUT UP!_

Panic drove me to morph. My arm quickly grew in size and mass. Fingernails sharpened, hardened and stretched. A bear claw was enough to take a person off their feet, broken bones included.

I was still in mid-morph but I attacked.

 _Clank!_

I hit something. Hard. Not soft like flesh. And my paw hurt.

What-?

The red eyes darted at me. The clicking in my head got worst.

The air was pushed right out of my lungs by something grabbing me tightly. "Gargh!" I felt the ground disappear beneath me.

"Rachel!" Tobias and Cassie yelled.

"Let me go!"

The eyes crept inches close to my face. I could feel the red haunting glow pierce me like a knife. Hot air blew down my face, the smell of rotten flesh needling my nostrils.

All my rage was gone. My half-bear form diffused back into human.

I was scared.

( _ **Mode switch: Destroy.**_ )

* * *

I've decided to upload Chp 3 in like five mins after the last two chps instead. It's as best as I can write and correct my own errors and I think I improve both characteristics of my own characters but also Rachel given the situation.

If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can, especially since I've learnt UK English instead for life and only been to USA twice. Friends have pointed out my weird writing. :( I know.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1** in Archive of Our Own. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.


	4. The Invisible

**I like to thank Artisan219 for helping me out with understanding Tobias' characterization and the chapter title. I also want to thank Willow866 for proofreading this.**

* * *

 **FOUR: TOBIAS**

* * *

"Rachel!" I hollered.

We've faced a lot of scary things since the beginning. Things that would make you go mad. We've seen Visser Three morph into stuff from our worst nightmares. We've watched our guts spill out and our bones turn into spaghetti.

But we've never faced anything like this. We couldn't even _see_ it!

Only the red eyes and the fact Rachel was ten feet off the ground were all we could tell we weren't alone.

( ** _Mode switch: Destroy._** )

It was dangerous!

I leapt up, grabbing on what I thought could have been the arm holding onto Rachel. I wasn't thinking. All I cared was getting her down.

The eyes locked swiftly onto me.

I shriveled up inside. Get away. The hawk's mind was telling me that.

This was a predator.

"Whoa!" I was pushed off.

"Omph!" The wind knocked out of Marco - who was getting ready to morph gorilla - as we both tumbled down to the ground.

(Tobias!)

 _FWAPPP! Tink!_

The blade hit _something_ but easily bounced back.

(Urgh!) Ax easily went right off his hooves. This thing was big for sure to take an Andalite warrior out.

"Argh!" Rachel choked, her face turning blue.

"ROOOOAAAR!"

Jake had quickly morphed into his tiger form, immediately pounding onto nothing and clawing at it. Marco was next to jump in, full ape. He lashed his arms around the thing, yanking it on as hard as he could.

"I-I can't b-breathe!"

"Rachel!" I yelled. What could I do? Rack at that thing with my talons?!

( ** _Get off!_** )

The thought-speech thundered loudly in our heads. Then Jake was thrown aside. Hard.

(Gaargh!)

"Jake!" Cassie yelled.

Marco was next. (Gack!) Something locked around his neck tight before his heavy body went flying.

Just what was this thing? Two animals and one Andalite weren't even enough to slow it down!

And what could I do? What _could_ I do?! I had to morph into something bigger than a useless hawk!

Those red eyes locked again on Rachel, wriggling in its grasp.

The hawk mind was telling me to fly away. Save my-

No! _No! Stop it!_

My mind went into a complete blank. _I_ wanted to save Rachel. The _hawk_ didn't want to be near this predator.

Please, someone-

"Umph!"

 _Thud!_

A brick bounced off that...thing's back. I think it was its back. I think it didn't make a dent.

The four lights turned to the source.

The girl, El, was back on her feet, holding her Dracon Beam. She was badly hurt from being swapped away - her body hunched down from the pain with small scrapes covering the side of her face.

"We have the device," El said in the strange tone.

The red eyes shook as if out of realization.

"Oofmph!" Just like that, Rachel was let go. "Gah-koff, koff."

(Rachel!) Jake uttered as Cassie and I rushed over to her. She was pale as a sheet, gasping heavily for air.

Slow stomping sounds erupted from the predator's every step as it 'haunted' towards El.

( ** _Give it to us..._** )

Again, that raspy, mechanical thought-speech bellowing.

I was scared. So was everyone else.

The Controller wasn't.

She just looked sick and tired.

"If you want it, come and get it from us!" El taunted.

The four eyes crept closer and closer.

She lifted the Dracon beam up.

 _TSEEEW!_

 _Snap!_

The crackling of wire breaking and the roaring metallic groans were loud above us. A large set of steel frames left dangling near the edge of a floor rolled off from their own unsteady weight once the ropes singed was off.

Right on top of the thing.

 _KLANK! KLUNK KLANK!_

The beams smashed onto whatever it was. On impact, a wave of electricity and metal zapped across the creature's body. It was only a glimpse but not enough to make out what it looked like.

The four eyes disappeared under the 100-ton pile and dust.

Seconds ticked on. El's Dracon Beam was still pointed at it, even when the dust cloud dispersed.

Nothing.

"...Is it dead?" El dared to ask.

One second. Two-

"RAOOOOOWW!"

The metal bars exploded, clanking loudly as El cowered back, bracing herself. The four eyes shot up to six feet, flashing violently.

( ** _Oc-oc-cul-cul-lus sys-sys-sys-tem-tem mal-fun-fun-tion. Un-un-un-ab-ab-ble to lo-lo-cate target!_** )

The clicking in my head was vibrating even louder. Almost like a bad, terrifying dubstep.

 _TSEEEW! TSEEEW!_

El fired. This time at the beast. But the beams simply ricocheted off of nothing.

Nothing. Nothing?! Dracon beams could disintegrate a human to ashes and we had our fair shares of burns and close shaves. Why wasn't it working?

( ** _De-de-de-de-stroy-destroy-destroy-destroy-destroy-destroy._** )

The thought-speech was almost like chanting. It was horrible. To us. To El too.

Its target was her.

"Run!" Cassie yelled.

El turned tail and fled.

"RAOOOOOWW!"

 _CLANK!_

The rusted frame of the first level shifted with a large dent. A miracle it didn't fall down. The thundering of footsteps grew fainter from us until we lost sight of El.

The thing was gone. We were safe.

But that girl wasn't.

(After her! Now!) Jake ordered hysterically, off in a dash.

(Are you insane?!) Marco uttered. (That's a monster. Do you hear me?! A monster we can't see!)

"And going to kill her!" Cassie hollered, already in grey fur.

(Tobias! In the sky!)

I almost leapt up but stopped myself.

Rachel was trembling badly, hugging the bag like her life depended on it. She rarely gets afraid but I couldn't blame her. That thing nearly suffocated her.

"G-Go," she managed to speak. "I'm fine."

No, she wasn't. She didn't even know she was grasping my wrist tight.

What was I thinking back then? Fly away? I could never have been so stupid. I nearly let Rachel get killed.

All because the hawk was afraid.

I was afraid.

"Get going," she pushed. Smiling. Forgetting that I did nothing to save her. "I'm right behind you."

I really was out of touch with my human self. But I hated that self of me.

When I was human, I wasn't exactly brave. Not by a long shot. I wasn't a coward either. I was the last one among the five of us to leave Elfangor when we'd found him that night.

People see hawks and raptors as symbol of heroism. But that's really ironic. I've been a hawk for a year now and it has no concept of valor. It's always about self-preservation.

Most of the time, I could force the hawk to overcome its natural instincts. And after clawing the eyes of countless Hork-Bajir and Taxxons, the hawk mind had actually adapted to that. It wasn't afraid of them anymore because it knew we could take them.

But this was new. And this was terrifying.

Yeah. I'm fast, agile and strong for my size, but hawks in the wild won't take on a full-grown raccoon. Or a giant invisible creature.

Hawks know some fights aren't winnable.

That doesn't mean I could excuse myself from my own friends. And most of all, Rachel.

I gave a squeeze on her hand. We both understood. I demorphed and took off to the sky, keeping a back glance at Rachel as she morphed.

I was also able to pick up on the others. Marco and Cassie were first. Jake was up ahead, twenty feet, with Ax not too far away.

Few blocks ahead of them, I spotted the Controller.

That wasn't the only thing I saw. Because it was the most obvious thing - like headlights. A bird's vision is very different from a human. You see the world in only shades of violets and now it's second nature to me.

Cassie said it was supposedly UV light birds were seeing.

Almost a car length behind the Controller, was the monster. And I could make out its form - white neon light outlining its bright blue-green body. Unlike everything else that I see in a world filtered in purple, this creature was like a mass of bright light. I couldn't make out a lot of details other than it was big and had six limbs. Each set bit into the ground like a greyhound speeding through.

(She's three blocks away! That monster is on her tail,) I hollered to the others, spying Rachel as another wolf catching up. The bag was slung around her neck.

(Wait! You can see-?!) Marco uttered but his thought-speech was too muffled because of the distance between us. Like reception.

For a Controller, she was speedy. The way she was going, she knew the layout of the area like the back of her hand. Whenever that thing was on her by a hair, she'd duck around a sharp corner. Unable to turn just as swiftly as her, the creature skidded along one direction before reeling back into the alleyway she took.

That's what I thought, until she slid into a lane with a brick wall at the end.

(Stop! That's a dead end!) I warned her.

Either she didn't listen or couldn't. The creature was already blocking her only way out.

(She's trapped-)

But before I could tell the others, El jumped onto a closed dumpster. With another leap, she hurtled herself up to a fire escape.

She wasn't stopping there - even if four flights of stairs looked exhausting.

Just as I thought she was safe, the glowing violet creature's four limbs immediately lashed onto the bottom steps and slowly stripped them off.

This thing has tremendous strength! Like The Terminator.

The floor gave way.

(No!) I yelled.

(What's going on, Tobias?!)

Somehow, El either had good luck or good reflexes. She quickly grabbed hold onto one intact thing, the railing. Just like Rachel from her gymnastic days, El swung her whole body with enough momentum to push herself up to the next railing above. Another swing and she kicked herself even higher.

The large mass of cyan destruction scaled up the wall like a lizard.

(She's heading to the roof!) I reported back. (So is that thing!)

(What is she, a monkey?) Marco hollered.

(Aw, you two would make a perfect couple!) Rachel droned.

(Oh, sure. I'll pick a nice restaurant for our first date. If she stays alive long enough! Seriously?!)

Marco was right about one thing. El really was like a monkey. She was sprinting across the busted rooftops, leaping from one building to the next.

But she was still nowhere close to being safe. That thing was right behind her.

"GAOOOOWWW!" it roared, a shoulder ramming into an old ventilation machine.

 _CRASH-CAK!_

El was already at the fifth building. A two story drop to the next. I almost thought she was going to take a leap of faith.

Instead, she dug something out of her jacket. Not her Dracon beam. From what I could tell, it looked crescent-shaped. Big enough to be held in her hand.

Kinda like an animal claw.

( ** _Gi-Gi-Give it to-to-to us-us-us!_** ) It was already looming over her, a large hand extending over her. Ready to smack her down.

(Jump!) I yelled.

She didn't need to be told. She bounced off the edge without a second thought. El raised up the strange talon and with one good swing, ripped it into the air.

Light blinked into existence. Like a small explosion. That's all I could describe what I saw. Like she was tearing out something from nothing.

(What the-?)

I didn't have a chance.

Suddenly, the world stopped.

Everything stopped. The Controller. The predator. Even me and the others.

It was only a split second but it felt like an eternity. Like I was underwater, holding my breath.

Then time became normal.

No. Something was wrong. _Everything_ was wrong!

I didn't _feel_ like time was normal.

In a flash, my world shifted. Changed. I didn't see the blue sky or the old buildings below. Fire and metal were everywhere around me.

 _"_ _-gency alert. Path tear failure imminent. All personnel, abandon ship-"_

The screeching sound of something enormous roaring and loud alarm noises were everywhere.

My body was burning and there was ringing in my head. My world was spinning out of control.

What was going on-

( _-d, wake up!_ )

I snapped out. I quickly realized I was far too low to the floor.

Fly! _FLY!_

The hawk mind was quicker than me. I flapped my wings as hard as I could. Keep going. This wasn't where I should be!

It was all in a glimpse but I was in some sort of tunnel, filled with wires, metal panels and fire. There was only one thing I kept focusing on.

Light. Light at the end of the burning, falling tunnel.

I shot right out, greeted by the sky.

I was free.

I glanced back to see what I was in. Try and make sense of it. But there was nothing with me. Just clouds and grey smoke.

What? Huh?

Was I imagining all of it?

But the fire felt real. Everything I saw felt real.

My feathers looked scorched at the ends-

No, wait! The others.

I searched below. The Controller and the predator weren't anywhere. But the others were at a different place from where I last saw them. A loading dock area.

They didn't look good either.

(Guys!) I yelled and dipped down, picking up on their thoughts as I landed on a parked car.

(I feel sick all of a sudden… Ugh!)

(Eww! Put your puke somewhere else!) Rachel shouted at Marco.

(We...we all felt that, right?) Cassie asked, barely holding herself together. (What was it?)

(I...I don't know,) Ax admitted. (Some form of vertigo?)

(Wait.) Jake turned to me. (Where is the Controller? The monster?)

"Look! Over there!"

Two men appeared at one end, already sprinting and armed with Dracon beams.

Where did they come from?!

(Yeerks!) Ax uttered.

"They're here!" one yelled and pointed.

 _TSEEEW!_

(Gah!) Cassie yelped from a light graze over her back. Everyone leapt under cover behind vehicles and concrete platforms.

As if we didn't need more Yeerks on our plate today.

(So she did have friends,) Rachel snapped angrily.

 _TSEEEW!_

(Where the heck did they come from?) Marco demanded.

(Well, obviously with her!)

(No, I mean from _where_. We didn't see anyone behind us, right? Tobias, were we being followed?)

(No. You guys were in the clear.) There was no way I could have missed anyone, or some new guests. I could see everything way up high, from the Controller being chased to the others catching up. There were no sight of any other Controllers.

"Get out of there, Andalite scum!"

(Gargh, we have no time for this! We have to find that girl,) Jake hissed.

(We already have like a troop of Yeerks here. Why would one make any difference?) Marco hollered, hands on his head for cover.

(We can just sneak back,) Cassie proposed.

(No, we'll risk being shot at the back…)

(I vouch for a fight,) Rachel said. (One way or another, we'll have to take them out if we want out.)

Jake thought for a moment, peeking out to see the two, now three Controllers heading inside the lane. (Tobias, we'll give you an opening. You got to find her.)

I had no quarrels. If anything, all this started because of that Controller.

And if she'd get killed, our answers would go with her.

(And another thing.) Jake wheeled back to Rachel. (The new box.)

(What about it?)

(Rachel, you're going with Tobias.)

(Wait, what?! Are you kidding me?) she opposed.

(Whatever that device is, it's like the blue box,) Jake urged. (If this _is_ Andalite tech, we can't let the Yeerks get it.)

(B-But…) She stopped herself, glancing at her cargo around her neck. I could have sworn she was about to pass it onto one of us instead. (Fine. Fine! But if a few Hork-Bajir come our way, I'm sinking my teeth into them!)

(I'm coming too!) Cassie shouted. (I have El's scent.)

(Should be fine. Each of us on one Controller,) Marco pointed.

No objection from Jake.

Ten feet left.

(Get ready!) Jake yelled.

Two feet. I could see the tip of the weapon over our hiding spot.

(Now!)

"RRRROOOOAAAARRRRR!"

"Aaargh!"

 _FWAPPP!_

Marco and Jake leaped out onto the Controllers as Ax fired his tail blade, knocking their firearms out of their hands. Cassie and Rachel headed the other way while I took off to the sky again as their eyes.

Splitting into two groups sounded dangerous but we couldn't afford to waste time. I kept watch on the girls as we left the old area and into a section of storage warehouses.

No sign of El. Everywhere else was open space with a canal at one end so she would have been easy to spot. Even that monster.

Logically, she'd have to be inside the buildings.

Maybe that would work in her favor. Cramped, small space that the monster couldn't get in. Her chances would be good.

(Do you see El?) Cassie hollered.

I was over one green storehouse with a skylight on top. Nothing so far, inside and out-

It went by too quick. I could have sworn I saw something appeared like it was pushed off and grew smaller inside the view with a spray of red.

I did a 180 and dove along the large industrial windows. Maybe she was inside.

"GRAHHHHHHHHH!"

(Whoa!) I yelped, having to flap my wings to steady myself.

(Was that a scream?) I heard Rachel utter. It sounded human. But it also sounded like a monster. Was there another one?

I watched Cassie dart right into an open side door I noticed before I could tell her to wait.

Whatever it was, it sounded like it was inside. I stirred myself back to gliding, swinging over to the south side of the building.

Then I saw _it_ on the ground. Inside.

It was a body.

* * *

This was uploaded earlier on AO3 but I hadn't had time to upload here till now. I'll try to strictly stick to Friday or weekends biweekly and if possible, depending on how fast I go with my prepared chapters, maybe weekly instead.

I will say it was enjoyable to do this chapter because of Tobias' conflict with his hawk self over fear and his sight on UV light. We never really got more detailed biology in the books or written well so how we see through a bird's eyes quite literally and if there's something very new in that perspective is interesting to imagine.

If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. Feedback and constructive criticism are welcome.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, Animorphs Reboot #1. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl. Additionally, check out Willow866's fanfic, Accepting the Inevitable and Honor and Vengeance, here. A nice series that take place after a year of the war's end. Because of FFN's (stupid) limits, I cannot put the links down but search up the names while you can.


	5. The Enigma

**FIVE: CASSIE**

* * *

The heavy smell of iron hit me hard before I was inside. It was all too familiar, twisting my gut badly before I saw El. Lying on the ground.

Motionless.

There was the color red.

Oh god.

(Oh god no,) I muttered.

She...she was dead?

How?

Who...what killed her? That thing?

I was trembling. This feeling, it was like before, at that first night.

When Elfangor was killed.

I wanted out. Run away.

We shouldn't be here.

(Cassie!)

I turned back to see Rachel. Her black eyes then fixed on the body as she slowly skidded to a stop.

(What… She's-) She couldn't continue.

We stared at the corpse, maybe for a few minutes-

 _BANG!_

The door slammed open and close behind us.

(Five Hork-Bajir and ten humans, last I checked,) Tobias pointed.

(Where's the Control-) Jake stopped once he saw El. One by one, everyone else noticed it and the reality slowly registered in them.

 _BANG!_

The door shook behind them. Marco quickly put his own weight to hold it back. (Sorry to say this but we've got bigger problems!)

Jake gave one last glance at El. (Get ready. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they're getting.)

 _BANG!_

Marco ducked few feet back with Jake and Ax.

 _KA-KRASH!_

Wood split apart. First came in was a Hork-Bajir. Then a second one.

"RRRROOOOAAAARRRRR!" Jake dove head first into one.

 _FWUMP!_ The Hork-Bajir rocked back.

"Tseeeeeer!" Tobias launched himself, talons outstretched onto the second.

 _FWAPPP!_

The third Hork-Bajir dodged Ax's blade and sprinted around. More swarmed from the narrow door, humans included.

"Get the others! Now!" one yelled.

(Bring it!) Rachel hollered.

Everything was a blur but the wolf knew which target to go for. And a moving target was hard to hit with a Dracon beam.

 _TSEEEW! TSEEEW!_

"Rrrumpf!" I leaped onto a Controller's hand.

"AHHH!" He dropped his Dracon Beam. "Get off!"

I held on tight, wrangling with him till he rocked off his feet. But I couldn't recoil back in time for a charging Hork-Bajir.

Rachel came to my rescue, going full speed. With a box laying around to boost her up, she dove her teeth right at the Hork-Bajir's jugular.

"Ggarrgh-aggrhhh!"

The alien tossed and turned his long neck to shake her off but she held on tight. The shaking was only making it worst for the wound.

Then something blue darted out like a firefly.

(No!) Rachel yelled.

 _Clink! Tink! Tink!_

It rolled clumsily across the floor until it stopped at a pair of hooves.

That was the device. Must had fallen out of the backpack.

But those hooves weren't Ax's. He was behind me. This other Andalite, however, was the last alien we wanted to see that day.

(What?)

He picked the blue device up and brought it close to his eyes.

(What do we have here?) Visser Three said with intrigue, examining its familiar light and bizarre shape.

Visser Three. The only Yeerk ever to infest and control an Andalite body, just as capable in morphing as we were. A dangerous enemy to encounter.

Dumb luck for him to be here _and_ pick up the device.

(Is this the Escafil Device?)

 _FWAPPP!_

 _FWAPPP!_

I had hoped Ax's attack would knock the device off Visser Three's hands but their blades crossed paths like a ricochet.

He huffed with amusement.

(Whatever this is, thank you for kindly presenting it to us,) he mocked. (I don't know what's your game, Andalite scum. But-)

 _Splash!_

His two eye stalks twirled to the red pool. With a fickle of his hoof, he shook the droplets off before noticing El's body.

(Ah. Another mess from your bandits. And I thought Andalites were more civilized.)

 _Thok!_

(Ah,) I whimpered as I watched him kick El. A corpse. As if to prove a point that killing one wouldn't stop their invasion. Her small body rolled five feet away, the coagulating blood giving a sickening sound across the stone.

That was too cruel, even for her. But Visser Three has no remorse for anyone, Yeerk or not.

(No matter. Another will take their place,) he said coldly. (Kill them.)

(Stop!) Jake darted but was stopped by a Hork-Bajir. (We can't let him take it!)

My ears twitched, picking up something raffling above us. A clank-clank kind of sound.

I peered up.

Red eyes. Hanging on the ceiling.

They dropped.

(Move!) I yelled.

The others noticed it too. We took the risk, jumping into the Yeerks instead of sticking around to get squashed. Just as the Controllers were ready to fight, the ground shook behind us.

"W-What-ARGH!" One human Controller went flying.

"RAOOOOOWW!"

(W-What?) Visser Three's tail arched up and his eyes searched. (Is this your doing?!)

His outburst attracted the eyes on him like a predator on prey. Barely an inch away.

Visser Three jumped. I'm not kidding. He jumped like a frightened foal. He was visibly shaking, terrified of what he couldn't see.

I heard Ax snicker.

The four eyes shook unstably like it was trying to get a hold of itself.

( **_An-An-An-la-sis-sis er-er-error. Un-Unknown target._ ** )

Visser Three freaked out again. Just like us, _this_ thought-speech was something new to him. Quickly, he puffed up his chest to show no fear. (So one of you acquired a new morph.) He laughed. (How amusing.)

( **_C-Cor-dex-tex lo-lo-cated._ ** )

His eyes scrunched up. (As entertaining as this new form is, it will not persuade me to my knees, Anda-)

( **_GI-GIVE IT_ ** )

 _THUD!_

(Oomph!) Visser Three was easily swapped away, thrashing into a pile of boxes.

 _Tik! Thod!_

(The box! Get it!) Jake ordered.

(Someone stop them!) Visser Three demanded as he tried to get up.

It was a race. Tobias dove in first with Jake behind. Just as the Controllers jumped in, beams ablaze. Didn't help that we were in a cramped place with the Yeerks.

The first one to get was a woman. She strangely staggered back, looking pale for some reason.

( **_Gi-Gi-Give it-it!_ ** )

 _Thud!_

"AHHH!" The Controller skidded across the floor.

 _Tik! Thod!_

"What is that thing?!"

"This isn't worth it!"

On the plus side, the Yeerks knew when to quit a fight. The numbers were dwindling fast.

That was still only the plus side.

(Got it!) Tobias hollered. (No!)

With its angles and size, any bird wouldn't be able to grip on the device. It bounced against the shelves and slid across the floor.

(No!) Jake launched himself but it was too late. The new box slid underneath the gap.

"RAOOOOOWW!"

(Get back!) Ax alerted as the shelf in front of Jake jerked violently. Maybe by the thing jumping around like a jaguar.

 _Keeee-THUSH!_

"Ahhh… AHHHHH!"

"Run!"

(Useless...) Visser Three spat, irritated that his allies were fleeing. Irritated that this thing easily batted him. (I am not so easily overcome, stalker.)

That was...actually weird. Visser Three hadn't been in a fair fight in a long, long, time. He was a villain we had never defeated, only escaped. And suddenly, just for a moment, I couldn't be happy. As we watched him morph, I was glad.

But it was still weird.

His body swelled up and grew. His arms and limbs split apart into thin vine-like appendages, each swirling together like roots as his blue fur disappeared into bark. His head reached to the lights above, hiding in the smoke.

(That's a Lerdethak!) Ax hollered.

(A what?) Tobias said.

(A creature from the Hork-Bajir homeworld! Keep looking!) Jake suddenly answered instead of Ax.

Ax looked confused for some reason but whipped his tail blade back into a Hork-Bajir.

Still, two giant monsters in a warehouse. I don't know whether it's lucky they were out for each other or not.

(Where are you, stalker?) Visser Three's vines shot out, feeling the air until they touched something. They tightened around the red eyes, wrapping more and more.

His wide mouth curled, showing rows and rows of teeth. He was getting the upper hand-

"RAOOOOOWW"

Suddenly, Visser Three's twisting body rose up off his trunk feet.

(Wha-it can change?!)

(What's happening, Tobias?) Jake asked.

(It...it just changed into some giant snake!)

I didn't understand what Tobias was talking about. But whatever this thing was, it was more dangerous than Visser Three could handle.

He chortled, then screamed at the sight of his tentacles being ripped off like taffy. There was a sickening sound.

Again, he was thrown away like a doll. _CRACK-THUSH!_

Was this for real?

"Fire! Fire!"

I turned back to see one part of the warehouse turn red. When did that happen? From our fight? Or from the thing?

(Hot! Hot! Hot!) Marco shouted from somewhere.

(Visser Three's getting away!) Tobias hollered.

Visser Three's limping body was demorphing, shrinking at the back. I noticed something blue, bundled in his tentacles.

(He's got the device!) I yelled.

(E-Enough! Let them deal with the stalker!)

(Stop!) Jake shouted.

 _Thod! Thod!_

The hard floor suddenly trembled. The sinister red eyes were back on us. Watching our every move.

I wanted to scream but all I could muster out was a wolf's whimper. We watched the remaining Yeerks turn tail with their leader, leaving this thing to us.

Even a Visser, an alien we've feared many times - and let me enforce the point, an alien with _better_ morphs than us - was nothing against this creature.

How were we supposed to fight this thing?

(Hey, hey!) Marco suddenly waved his arms. The red eyes tilted back inquisitively, making him freeze up for a second. (Y-Yeah, the device you want so badly? Yeerks got it.)

The eyes jerked back and wheeled to the direction the Yeerks left.

"RAOOOOOWW!"

The ground shook again and the door they closed behind was ripped off the hinges.

My hind knees buckled up that I dropped down. That was too close.

(Oh my god. I can't believe that worked,) Marco groaned. (Ugh. My heart. I can't take this stress.)

 _BAM!_ A piece of debris plummeted onto one of the shelves as more of the ceiling was caving in. The fire was getting out of hand.

(We cannot stay,) Ax urged.

(Don't have to tell us twice!) Rachel yelled.

One by one, the others hurried for the open door.

I was the last, looking back at El.

I should've been used to seeing death. I've seen a lot of it at the clinic and on the battlefield. Some deaths had to happen. Some were unavoidable. And I knew there's nothing I could do about it.

But seeing a kid die for the first time...it shook me to the core.

(Come on, Cassie,) I heard Jake called.

Go. We should go-

"...E-Eee..."

My wolf ears picked the faint sound. I looked back.

Her chest went up and down. Over and over.

I was hopeful.

(She's alive!) I uttered and immediately darted back in.

(Cassie!)

El hadn't moved from her spot but an Andalite kick had to have done serious damage. She weakly glanced at me.

(Hang on,) I assured her. (I'm getting you out.)

She gave up, staring at the ceiling.

I lashed my teeth onto her hoodie and pulled-

"Argh!" she shrieked in pain.

I immediately let go. (I'm sorry!) That wasn't good. It could mean a lot of things: internal bleeding, broken back, anything.

It was getting hard to breathe but I wasn't going to leave El. She needed medical treatment right now!

"...I...g-get it..." Her voice was strained, weak.

(Cassie!) I heard Jake holler from behind. Looking back, he and Marco had huddled over the red-hot debris.

(Jake! Marco! She needs to get to a hospital! Right now-)

"S-Stop..."

I spun back, watching her cough out blood. But her weary eyes stayed on me.

"F-Forget about me..." she heavily gasped. "S-Save... S-Save El..."

The way she said it, it was odd. Save El? Why was she-

No. There was a reason.

This was the Yeerk talking to us.

(The Yeerk's still alive,) Ax hissed.

(Just leave her!) Rachel barked. (We got to get out of here!)

(We're not leaving her!) I turned back to El. (We'll get her to a hospital. It'll be ok-)

"D-d-doesn't matter…"

I felt my heart tightened. _Doesn't matter?_ We've saved so many people, even aliens. Why couldn't we save her?

(What do you mean? We can get her help!) I snapped.

The Yeerk didn't answer. She was losing focus.

(Hey! Yeerk!) I cried. (Marco, help me carry her-)

"L-Listen to me…" Her bloody hand gripped on the fur under my neck. The wetness soaked through. "Tell me this...the n-next time we meet…"

Her voice was so soft but my ears picked up the words. I wanted her to stop, save her energy.

"'El's c-constellation's...Orion's Belt and V-V'trix's constellation...is R-Rhesam's Link'."

(Rhesam?) Marco repeated.

She didn't explain. Her eyes were swirling uncontrollably.

(Hey! Are you ok?) I called out. Something wasn't right with this Yeerk.

"D-Don't...forget…to tell me the passphrase…"

(Tell you? You're right here.)

She stared at us wordlessly.

This scene… This last message reminded me of that night. And it was there I knew there was nothing we could do.

She was dying. Just like Elfangor. Just like before.

"...H-Hey," she broke softly. "D-Don't give me that f-face… I hate it…"

Hate it? I didn't understand.

But there was no point in getting any explanation.

"D-Don't...forget to t-tell them…" she pleaded with her last remaining strength. "Y-You'll need…t-them…you r-really...need...E-viee..."

The Yeerk just stopped. Her host's body went limp.

That was it...

(Hey.) This couldn't be happening. (Hey!)

No matter how many times I yelled, she wouldn't wake up.

(This is a trick, right?) Marco murmured. (Some game to make us feel bad.)

It was working. On me.

Come on, Yeerk. Prove us right. You're the bad guys. You're the cruel ones here.

Please.

Because if you don't...that meant El was…

 _BAM!_ A burning beam dropped loudly beside us.

(We gotta go! Now!) Jake ordered.

Everyone was leaving. Except for me and Marco. I glanced back. Hoping. But she still wouldn't move.

That was when Marco noticed something in the pool and picked it up. A set of keys with a small pocket watch chained to it. Its lid had been broken off but I saw that the hands had stopped.

5: 52 PM. El's time of death.

(Come on!)

I swallowed up my grief and we followed the others, pouring right out into dim daylight. We went further to escape the thick smoke.

(What about the new device?) Ax pointed at the urgency. I get it though. Something that might be related to his people was in the hands of his enemy.

(Look up!)

We gazed up at Tobias' shout. It was only for a second but we could clearly see the shimmering form of a Bug Fighter before disappearing off into the clouds. Beyond our reach.

Visser Three's ship, for sure. They planned to outrun the creature as far away as possible.

It was gone. Along with the device.

(Jake, I-)

(It's ok. We were surrounded,) Jake stopped Rachel. He reluctantly sighed. (...Tobias, find us a safe place before the fire department arrive.)

(Hey, look at it this way,) Marco started. (Maybe the Yeerks and creature could kill each other off for us to take back the device under their noses.)

(And you don't think one side will win?) I asked.

He struggled, waving his hand weakly till it dropped to the side.

After what we saw, I think the Yeerks also had their work cut out for them.

(This way. It's safe uphill,) Tobias called.

We followed suit Tobias' small form in the sky to a small overlook, far enough to see the building burn down to the ground. With everything in it.

And we watched the flames for a while...

(We are halfway through the time limit,) Ax reminded us.

Jake sighed heavily. There was nothing for us to do here. (Yeah. We should leave.)

(Hey, what about that invisible creep?) Marco asked anxiously. (We don't know if it'll change its mind and come back for us,) Marco pointed.

(Yeah. We split up. Then meet up at the barn later,) Jake proposed.

None of us objected. So we morphed into birds and went our own separate ways.

I stopped halfway. Found myself a spot in an alley.

Demorphed back into a human.

Because birds couldn't grieve...

I just watched El die. I couldn't save a kid my age.

I knew El as much as Rachel did. I've met her pretty much during English, and whenever my family ordered takeout. Because she worked as the delivery girl at her family restaurant.

Now she wasn't going to be at school. Or at my doorstep.

Oh god. Her great uncle. Her family. My dad knew her father.

They had to know. El was dead and she wouldn't be coming back.

If I were to die because of this war, and my parents never knew...that would be too horrible for them. They'd be devastated and have my photo plastered everywhere like those missing children. Wondering where I went.

Years passed and I'd still never come back.

I felt like I should tell El's family. Nobody deserved that. But I couldn't. I couldn't say, "El was taken by a parasitic alien and just got killed." I couldn't say anything without telling the whole truth and endangering us.

I don't even know if her family were Controllers. That they could easily sweep it under the rug like it was nothing. If El was one, they could be too.

All of this was unfair.

My eyes were watering. I barely noticed someone riding a bike, passing the alleyway I was in.

"Is that smoke?"

"Looks to be. Best to avoid that direction."

It was just a glimpse when I looked up. That pink and white parka-

I stopped.

No way...just no way.

I spun so fast my head felt numb. I had to be imagining.

She was already gone around the corner.

* * *

This was an interesting chapter because it's a combination of two old chapters some might have read. And I think I'll possibly combine any chapters I had written because there are some situations that felt too long and dragging imo. That said, I've recently finished another new pre-chapter that had extended 3k words, past my word goal and it's mostly because it's Ax in a new environment.

I normally stick to 2.5+k because at least it doesn't make me write too much with unimportant things but if you guys don't mind a little extra, mainly on important stuff like say "Oh we have Ax in a Chinese restaurant, let's see how bad this goes" or more indepth between character interactions, then sure!

If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I hope you enjoy it!

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, Animorphs Reboot #1. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl. Additionally, check out Willow866's fanfic, Accepting the Inevitable and Honor and Vengeance, here. A nice series that take place after a year of the war's end. Because of FFN's (stupid) limits, I cannot put the links down but search up the names while you can


	6. The Impossible

**FIVE: MARCO**

* * *

I was staring holes in the broken pocket watch.

It was a dream, right? Maybe it was the Ellimist doing something again. Or Crayak.

They were the most likely culprits who could pull something like this off. But once we got back to the barn, our conversation there didn't go anywhere too. It was also cut real short when Cassie never arrived.

Under normal circumstances, I'd probably let it go. Just like anyone of us, Cassie can handle things on her own. She's a better morpher than us too. But still, that thing, whatever that invisible monster had been, we couldn't even scratch it.

So Jake was worried. _Obviously_. We all were, but being the leader too, he felt responsible.

This _was_ Cassie we're talking about. Back in the warehouse, she was pretty shaken up about that Controller. I think we all were, but in different ways. Cassie had made friends with a Yeerk before. Aftran. And there was even some rumors about some kind of Yeerk Peace Movement, but I was too cynical to really put much faith in that.

I wasn't worried. She probably took a breather after everything. Cassie would be fine.

 _Yeah, Marco. Keep telling yourself that._ I knew I was being deliberately optimistic because if I let myself think deeper, it would drive me nuts.

My biggest worry was this El Controller. She knew who we were - not the Andalite Bandits, but four human teens, a hawk and an Andalite aristh - and I've been wrapping my brain around the whole thing. And she knew exactly where to find us. _That_ was the part most of us focused on, but even that went nowhere. When she died, all our chances of getting answers went with her. And however she had found out about us, we might never know.

It wasn't a comforting thought.

Not like the answers would fall from the sky and into my lap.

In the end, all we could do was call Erek and leave it to the Chee to find out where the Yeerks could have taken the new box. Tobias and Ax went to look for Cassie, while the rest of us had to head home. Because of dinner.

And just like that, I found myself in my room, holding a dead girl's trinket - a set of keys with a watch keychain.

That will make a good camp story to tell one day.

Jokes aside, I can't explain why I picked them up. Don't even know where they'd open to. I guess during the moment, I felt like everything wasn't real. We were heading home after a trip to the mall, not at the site. No Controller. No weird-looking blue box. Nil. Nothing. But picking up the pocket watch...punched me back down to Earth.

It might have made me feel guilty as well.

Hmph. Guilty. I wasn't the one who killed her. Why should I feel guilty?

It was strange how hours ago, I saw someone's death up close and now. Someone my age. And I was smiling. Was I really that terrible?

 _Ding-dong!_

"Marco! Could you get that for me?" I heard Dad holler.

I heaved a sigh. I was actually thankful. I needed a distraction from this crazy stuff.

"Got it!" I yelled, leaving for the front door.

"Money's on the counter. Get the receipt too," he added.

"I got it, I got it". I wasn't a kid anymore.

That kid in me was gone a year ago.

"And remember. You're defending yourself tonight."

"Fin-" I stopped.

Wait, what?

I trailed to the bathroom, where he was. There was cologne in the air.

"What do you mean "defending myself"?"

He looked at me like I had one eye. "Don't you remember? I'm meeting your Math teacher tonight."

Meeting? Tonight?

My math teacher? _Ms Robinette?_

"You didn't tell me that."

"Yes, I did. Last night." He adjusted his tie neatly.

He did? Last night, I had gone off to do recon with Rachel. Just to double check we wouldn't get surprises during Beach day.

Ironic the surprise happened a day later.

"Are you sure, Dad?" I asked carefully. Didn't want to be grounded if he found out I was out at night.

"Of course, I'm sure. That's why I got takeout for you."

"What exactly is this about? Am I in trouble?"

"No, no. She just wants to discuss how you've been doing so far."

I didn't like the sound of that. It sounded fake to me.

But then again, I was getting mostly Cs in class.

"But she's my math teacher. Not my homeroom teacher." I looked at Dad again. Clean shirt and his nice shoes. "And why the fancy getup?"

"What? I don't want to be a bad example to your teachers, do I?" he said. He frowned at his tie and undid it.

"Well, no. But-"

 _Ding-dong!_

"That must be Liang's grandniece." Liang? Who's Liang? "Can you get that?"

No. Explain to me what's going on, I wanted to ask that. This all looked too much like a-

 _Ding-dong!_

Aaaaah, fine! I rolled my eyes up and headed to the front door. The faster I'd get rid of this person, the faster I could talk to Dad. Outside, the delivery girl was already picking up my dinner from their bike's basket they packed nearby.

"Hello, Yan Fú Wok delivery. Is your dad in?"

"Yeah, he's-"

I froze.

I recognized that face.

I stared at her in disbelief. I saw her **_dead!_**

Standing in front of me was the girl with the knit cap.

Alive.

Breathing.

Smiling.

Then frowning.

"Oh, great. It's you again," the girl named El grumbled.

A fly could go right into my mouth with how big it was...

"Um, hello?" She waved a hand.

"...AHHHHHHHHH!"

I couldn't help it.

"What?! What did I do?!"

"Marco?! What's wrong?!" Dad yelled from behind, rushing to me with a plunger. The girl in front of me hunched up the bag over her like a shield at the sight of my 'rescuer'. Hey, if I was in her spot seeing someone shriek in her face, then I'd be thinking the same thing - this person's a lunatic.

"Hang on! I didn't do anything!"

"What happened here? Are you alright?!"

How was any normal person supposed to react? How was I supposed to be calm?! _She was dead!_

I swallowed. Keep cool, Marco! Think of an excuse! Anything!

"Ahahaha," I gave out a nervous laugh. "S-Sorry. I thought I saw a...spider. Yeah!"

Reaaal smooth.

She searched meekly for the imaginary creepy crawler. "What? Where-?"

"It's gone. Phew. Ran away."

"I didn't know you were arachnophobic," Dad uttered.

Well, I suppose the first time I morphed into a spider got rid of being creeped out by bugs.

"Eheheh. Oh, you know. Can't handle those legs." I shrugged.

"Well, I have to agree with you on that." He turned to the dead girl. I mean, living girl.

Who was still holding the bag up. "Am I in trouble, sir?"

That was when Dad realized he was holding the plunger like a weapon. "Ah. No. Sorry." He lowered it down and took the cash from me. "Here's the money. Send my thanks to your old unc."

She gave a cheap smile, handing over the bag of food. "Will do. Enjoy the meal."

Dad returned back inside. And then she locked her eyes on me. Gulp.

"Hey," the girl's voice started off cautious. Well, she had every right to be afraid of me after that outburst. "Are you really ok?"

Uh… Well, I was actually terrified because **_a dead girl_ ** was standing at my doorstep. But other than that...yeah, peachy.

I wanted to pinch myself. Was I dreaming?

She was real, alright. Fine and dandy. There wasn't a single bloodstain on her clothes. And they were the same ones she wore when we first met. Well, the jacket she wore here was white and pink, not yellow and black.

As far as I could tell, she was completely uninjured.

And why was she acting like nothing happened to her?!

"Helllllloooo!" She waved again, frowning angrily. "Is anyone in there?"

"Oh! Y-Yeah," I replied. My voice was shaky. "I'm swell. Um… Do you remember what happened earlier?"

"You mean at the restaurant, right? I wanted to ask you that, actually."

I blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Don't you remember? This morning, you came to my workplace."

All of this was not registering to me.

"Hahaha, you must be mistaken." This was a joke, right? "I wasn't anywhere this morning."

"No, you were. In a leotard."

Again, I blinked. And glowered too. Ok, now she was insane. We saw her an hour ago. Near the construction site. _Later killed!_ And that was the first time we've met this girl.

How was she alive?! Was the stress of this war getting to me and now I was becoming like those nutjobs?

Worst of all, I remembered the words she said. Fresh as a daisy.

 _"I'm a Controller."_

My muscles tensed up at that thought. The possibility of meeting a human Controller was very, _very_ high. You couldn't trust anyone. Worst part, this Yeerk knew who we were.

If that was the case, then I seriously needed to get out of this. No! I needed to take her out! My dad's safety was important. But calmly and carefully. One wrong move and this Controller would call all of her friends. The end of the Animorphs, the death of my dad and me right in this house or even worse, and the fate of humanity gone out the window.

No. The worst thing on my mind was the death of me and my dad.

Ok, Marco. She seems to be delaying. Morph into a gorilla and grab her-

All of a sudden, she stepped closer with a worried face. Yikes! She was close enough to point a Dracon Beam at me!

"What were you trying to tell me back then?" she pushed. "You looked pretty upset."

"I-I was?" Tell her what?

No, wait. This was another trap. Remember, Marco! They know about us. Don't be an idiot and fall for it!

She kept on pushing with that concerned facade. "You looked like you were going to cry any second there. Why? Have we met before?"

What?!

But she looked sincere. Or the Yeerk pretended to be.

I was way confused. Also, admittedly offended. Me crying? Pffft! I wasn't a crybaby.

Don't give in, don't even show you have no idea (but you obviously don't), I told myself. This was a cold-hearted, calculating alien parasite inside the head of a human being.

The girl seemed to give up, her attention going to something she pulled out from her pocket.

The hair on the back of my neck stood once I saw what it was.

In her hand was a set of keys attached to one thing. And it was a pretty old pocket watch. You don't see that nowadays. Or even see kids around my age carry something like that.

The exact same broken pocket watch I picked up from the site. Minus the dry blood and missing lid.

No. It couldn't be a coincidence.

What the heck was going on?

She opened it and looked at it tick for a few seconds. "Sorry, I gotta go back-"

"Hey." I nearly trembled when she turned at me, shutting the lid close "Were you...at the construction site today? Near the mall."

"That abandoned place? No," she replied. "That route's pretty out of the way for deliveries. And Kong Kong would be furious with me."

"Kong Kong?"

"My great uncle," she explained. "He's the owner."

I still wasn't convinced. Why was the Yeerk acting like this?

"Do you know who I am?" I asked. "Before today."

"You're our customer's son. That's about it," she said sincerely.

"And my name?"

"I dunno. Mark? You go to my school, right?"

"Actually, it's Marco."

She shrugged. Hey! It's a very pleasant-sounding name. Don't give me that!

"Ok, how about my friends?"

She hunched down an eyebrow. "Do you even have friends with the kind of attitude you have?"

"Ahahaha, oh, don't _you_ make an awesome friend to have." This Yeerk sure knew how to punch with words.

El then looked apologetic. "Sorry. And no, I don't know your friends. Or even you."

Nothing. Still nothing.

What was going on?

I stared at her. Hard. Yeah, I know. I was making a fool out of myself.

"You absolutely don't know me?"

"You're creeping me out, bud. I don't. Period. I've only saw you today at work this morning. This is the first time I'm talking to you in person."

I knew how Yeerks were. They could easily hide everything right under your nose.

"Are you sure you weren't at the construction site?"

"Yes. What are you, my dad?" she snapped, sounding annoyed. "I've been doing deliveries the whole day."

"You're not gonna punch me, are you?"

She looked at me bewildered. "What? Why would I do that?"

Well, you said so!

I expected this Yeerk to do something. Anything! She knew. _They knew about us!_ But for more than a minute...she stared at me like I had an extra head on me.

Why? They had to know...right?

"Alright. You were strange this morning and you still are now. Answer me this, are _you_ alright?" she demanded again.

She was on to me. I've pushed too many questions that were going to put me six feet under.

I swallowed. Think carefully.

She _was_ a girl.

"Ok, you caught me." I forced a guilty smile, which seemed to relax her a bit. "I may be stalling you to stay just a little longer."

"Ahhh... Yeah, not interested," she said quickly with a stiff smirk.

Ouch. Shutdown. Even if I was trying to get the Yeerk off my case.

She folded her arms. "I was worried after you ran off like that but if you're that fine to pull a move on me, then it was for nothing."

I really wanted to say, "Whoever you saw wasn't me. You're the one hallucinating!". But I didn't.

"I'm not pulling anything! Is it so wrong that I want to get to know you a bit better?"

"Yeaaah. No. If you want to go out with a girl, stop it with the sweet talk. Girls like honesty, not cheap words," she blurted out boldly.

Ha. The pot calling the kettle black. Nice one, Yeerk.

"If you're ok, then I should get going." Then she turned.

"Wait."

She stopped, wheeling back with an annoyed look. "What is it?"

I bit my lower lip, putting myself on the spot again. Why was I doing this? I was digging my own grave here!

But still nothing. Would a Yeerk really play for this long? I've probably given way too many flags by now the longer I talked to this girl.

All I knew right then and there was this: this girl was alive. The Yeerk was alive. And they were connected somehow.

The only way I could get to the bottom of this was, well…

I couldn't believe I was thinking this...

...Get to know my enemy.

"What's your name?"

Her frown slanted even more to the right. Back to the arms folding and narrowed eyes. "I told you. I'm not inter-"

"No, no. Not like that! You said you've seen me at school, right?" I explained briefly. "Don't think I've seen you."

"Oh, I think we're in different grades," she replied. "Call me El."

Huh. Not even a real name. Guess it was better than nothing to this mystery.

"Alright, El. Thanks for the food."

"Hope you'll enjoy it." El smiled.

It was weird. Seeing a Controller just beam naturally and genuinely at me. Moreover, a girl who was supposed to be dead.

My brain was screaming at me that it was the Yeerk. The Yeerk, stupid!

"I will," I just said.

She turned to her bike. I couldn't risk just standing there dumbfounded or else she'd get suspicious or turn my back to get myself shot.

But seeing her climb on her bike assured me a bit. So I wheeled around-

"Weird human."

Chills ran down my spine.

I've heard that before. A different kind of tone just an hour ago.

I turned around so fast, I was sure she'd noticed. Biggest mistake.

But El's attention was on her bike.

"You said something?" I asked. Out of dumb reflex.

"Hm?" El gazed up as she kicked off the brake on her bike.

"Um, nothing. Nothing." Don't push it, Marco. You'll get your chance.

"Hm-hm. Guess I'll see you again next delivery." Then she rode off. I kept my eye on her until she disappeared around the corner.

I closed the door. Just to be sure. I wasn't out of the clear yet-

 _Ding-dong! Knock, knock, knock!_

My heart dropped.

What?! Again? Did she figure it out?

"Can you get that, Marco?"

"Y-Yeah, sure!" I answered my dad, desperately looking for a solution.

I spotted the plunger Dad left behind.

Fine, Yeerk. If that's what you want, I'm taking you down with me!

I grabbed it tight and threw open the door, raised up the plunger like a sword-

"Marco! What are you doing?!"

I stopped myself. Standing at my porch was Cassie.

"Cassie?" I stared at the plunger in my hand and quickly put it down. "Where have you been? Everyone's looking for you-"

"Never mind that!" she uttered. "You saw her, right? You saw El."

That one sentence was all it took to bring me back to Earth. If Cassie saw her too, then I wasn't imagining things.

"She's alive! She's really alive!" she blurted with tears.

I wasn't sure if she wanted to smile or couldn't because she was too shocked.

In the end, I could only muster one sentence.

"What the heck is going on here?"

* * *

Hello all and this was a chapter I had for the longest time been waiting to show. It's partly still an original but with some changes. Marco's narration. :)

And one thing, before, for a previous fic, I've always made Marco a bit too paranoid and I think I've not shown his cunning side at times when needed. So this was a real change to really stick to Marco's character and I hope I've achieved it.

If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I hope you enjoy it!

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.


	7. The Infiltration

**SEVEN: AX**

* * *

"Welcome to the Quarter, everyone."

Marco welcomed us to this section of the city with arms open in the air. It was an unfamiliar place that I had never been to. The sights and smells were very different compared to everywhere else.

Cassie and Marco had urged us to follow them here. Because against all odds, they had discovered the Controller, El, alive and well. We expected this to be a joke from Marco - Rachel ready to hit him for making a 'sick' one - but Cassie insisted it wasn't.

I wasn't convinced. But she wasn't a liar either. So in the end, we came here to see for ourselves.

"What is the 'Quarter'?" I asked. I had morphed into my human form to blend in with my friends. Tobias did so as well.

"The Quarter is like our version of a Chinatown," Rachel said.

"What does that mean?" I asked again.

Marco was the one to answer. "It's a remnant of culturalism. New immigrants that didn't speak English were basically forced to live outside town. Later, the city grew to the point that it absorbed the old district. It's a hodge-podge of Asian cultures. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, and some Indian and Arab. That's the Quarter."

I am still unclear on some of the intricacies of human culture, but I understand that humans divide themselves into groups based on regional-cultural identities. I do not know why.

"Are you sure about this?" Prince Jake asked Cassie. "If El's still alive, we're just going to walk right in and she's not gonna recognize us at all?"

Cassie glanced at us sternly. "I'm positive. I think it should be fine."

"If she had, she would have gotten me at my house," Marco pointed.

"Or she's pretending," Rachel pointed ruptly. "Waiting for the right moment to catch us when we least expect it."

"I think that moment left my doorstep thirty minutes ago."

"I don't get it. We saw her die."

"I know. I know," Cassie said to Prince Jake. "But she's alive somehow. That's the best we can go on."

"Do you think this Yeerk's controlling a dead body then?" Rachel inquired.

"Whoa." Marco jumped with disgust. "When did this become a zombie movie?"

"That is impossible," I stated. "A Yeerk needs a functioning and active brain for them to have complete control. It cannot control the dead, or a vegetable host for that matter."

"Then who did we see at the warehouse, her twin?" Rachel frowned, folding her arms.

"Twin…" Marco repeated thoughtfully. "Do you think maybe that other El was, well-"

"Was what?"

"Someone like us. With morphing powers."

That idea visibly did not cross my friends' minds. I had suspected the possibility but it was a far-fetched idea to begin with.

"That...could explain some things," Cassie agreed.

"So you're saying that could have been an Andalite who acquired El's DNA?" Prince Jake clarified.

"It doesn't explain the Yeerk. Unless there was no Yeerk to begin with," Marco pointed.

I grumbled. "I find that hard to believe. That impudent attitude of hers is enough proof a Yeerk was present."

"Hang on. If that could have been an Andalite, doesn't that mean she was also a Controller?" Rachel asked.

"Possible…" I said distastefully. It was a terrifying thought of a Yeerk managing to infest another Andalite besides Visser Three. "It is a possibility I cannot dispute."

"Then it's also possible El's not a Controller," Cassie added lightly.

"Um, not likely," Marco stepped in. "I can't shake this feeling but…" He stopped himself, shaking his head before glancing back at our target destination. A small restaurant with an Earth bird-like symbol above its door. "We'll get our answers in there anyway."

"Well, we don't have any other choices." Prince Jake wheeled to me. "Ax, I swear, you better behave in there."

"An Andalite is always in control, Prince Jake."

Prince Jake cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Were you 'in control' at the McDonald's?"

"Or the Dairy Queen," Cassie added.

"Or the food court," Rachel chimed.

"And how many Cinnabons banned you? Three?"

These comments expressed a sense of disappointment towards me. I didn't understand why.

"I'll stay out and be on watch. El shouldn't see me there when I've already gotten takeout," Marco explained.

"Yeah, for the best. If anything happens, we get out quietly and carefully. Don't stick around," Prince Jake ordered. A plan we had no objection to.

As Marco took to an alleyway, we strode to the front door. It was a simple choice of tactic - go in as normal human children that Yeerks wouldn't think less of.

 _Ding!_

Immediately, I was hit by a rush of powerful aromas and colors. The cramped interior had chairs and tables paired in sets and circles instead of rectangles. Several humans were sitting at them, eating, drinking and making idle chat. The walls were covered with strange monochromatic images and bizarre decorations while the ceiling had large rotating blades blowing down cool air.

"Welcome to Yan Fú Wok! Be with you in a sec," a voice called out from somewhere.

Everything of this 'Yan Foo Wak' was overwhelming, especially one ornament that was strange and captivating, placed on a counter near the door.

It was shaped like an Earth animal that humans called it a cat. With a blotchy pattern of white, orange and black. Its large eyes were unnaturally gleaming and it's mouth was a distorted double-curled line.

One of its front paws was held up in the air. Curiously, I reached out to touch it.

To my amazement, it moved! In a 'bobbing' motion. It was waving at me!

What a unique ornament! I'd certainly want to bring one to my homeworld after the war.

"Ax, don't touch anything," Cassie warned.

"Are we really sure bringing him here is a good idea?" Rachel asked.

"Hey, Cassie. Rach." I stiffened. Walking up to us was the Controller.

She was really alive, now lacking her second artificial skin. Even my friends - Cassie excluded - could not believe their eyes.

"How…" Prince Jake's voice fell silent.

Just as Cassie and Marco stated, the El Controller didn't seem to recognize us. Or she was hiding that fact very well. In her hand, she had a strange pad made of a weak material and a thin black device.

"Large crowd you brought here. And…"

She turned her attention on me.

"What is he doing…?"

Although I was on complete guard, I was still making the earthen paw shake up and down amusingly.

"Don't mind him. Really," Cassie pushed. "Ax, please."

"But Cassie, this is amazing! It is moving its paw on its own volition. Without any mechanism!" I told her.

It was then when El scowled at me impatiently, her right foot tapping. "Would you stop bobbing our statue? You're gonna get us cursed."

I stopped. The word, 'curse', was an amusing and unrealistic thing to hear - very few Andalites were the superstitious kind, my own brother included. I was part of the majority's opinion on the so-called occult.

"What an irrational thing to say. Ih-rash-uh-nl. Rash. Curses are nothing but a fool's hearsay," I rebuked.

She folded her arms. Offended, but I did not care for an enemy. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you for being disrespectful."

 _I do not need your warning, Yeerk. And I will not give you my respect._

"Sorry about that, El," Cassie apologized. She shouldn't, to this Yeerk.

"You know what? I'm not gonna judge." She glowered. "Already had a weirdo walk in a leotard this morning."

(That wasn't me!) Marco hollered.

"Shush!" Rachel snapped.

"What?"

"N-Nothing, nothing at all," Prince Jake said. "We're just here to have dinner together."

"No, there _is_ something." Rachel then interrupted, giving a harsh grimace at El.

"Uh...what did I do now?" she asked meekly, holding the pad like it was a protective device.

"Oh, I don't know. You tell us," she barked with an aggressive version of sarcasm in her voice. "Who's V'trix?"

Cassie jumped and hissed quietly, "Rachel!" while Jake gave a disapproval look. I had to agree, it was a risky move to take.

"Hang on," El began, looking puzzled. Not shocked. "How do you-"

"Oh, you know V'trix too?"

A second female human stepped in. She looked to be a few years older than my friends - tall with black hair and eyes. Two observations I've made is how quite similar her eyes were shaped like an Andalite's and the color of her skin was different from Marco's or Cassie's.

The voice we heard first upon entering was hers. "Sounds like she's getting more popular around here."

"Heh," El chuckled. "She's not going to like that though."

"I know she's an introvert but it doesn't hurt to make more friends. Isn't she in the middle of nowhere?"

"Wait. Hanan," Cassie started cautiously. So she knew this human on an acquaintance level. "You know V'trix?"

"Of course, El's always been talking nonstop about her penpal around here," Hanan replied.

(...Penpal?) Marco hollered.

My friends looked at each, surprised. It seemed everyone did not anticipate this.

I was unsure why, however. I didn't know what a 'pen-pal' was.

"Yeah." El folded her arms. "Did Mom tell you about her or something?"

Wait, her mom? How many people know this Yeerk? Marco asked.

"Um, yeah!" Rachel's wary demeanor dispersed. She realized the best choice of action was not to persuade, especially when we had a new human with us. "Yeah. That's where I heard it. My mom was talking to her. At her shop. I was there."

El furrowed one eyebrow with a tilt of her head. It was unclear if she was buying it or not. But a more pressing question was on my mind that I had to ask.

"What is a pen-pal? Pen. Pal. Peeen. Pal. Pal."

The Controller's eyes widened like that was a bizarre question. "What planet did you come from to not know what a penpal is?"

I was about to answer that but Tobias quickly covered my mouth. "He lived a sheltered life."

"Ah. Well, I know the feeling," she explained, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "It's a friend I've been writing to for a few years now."

"Write? Rit. Rrrr. What is write?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed thinly. "Are you being serious or pulling my leg here?"

"H-He spends a lot of time on the computer," Cassie pointed. "That's all."

"Oh, so he's a techie… Right."

"So about V'trix, um, how long have you been penpals?"

"Four years. She's from New Zealand."

(New Zealand? I'm lost.)

"So...she's a real 'person'?"

"Yeah. What's that supposed to mean?" El asked, confused at where Cassie was going with this.

"Well, V'trix doesn't sound like any name I've heard," she treaded lightly.

"Of course it's not," El replied straightforwardly. "It's a pen name I made for her." She gave a heartfelt laugh. "Thought it'd be cool to be secretive like that. Like those super villains from the shows and comics, always trading messages with each other."

"Vil. Vil-len. Len. That suits the both of you," I mocked.

"Excuse me?"

"Vanilla!" Prince Jake uttered, before sending a dark look at me. "I told him about the dessert here."

I gave an apologetic nod to him for my mishap. It was admittedly difficult when I knew we were in the presence of a Yeerk.

"O-kkk. But we don't use vanilla for our dessert. We use imported pandan."

"Can vouch for her on that," Hanan added.

"...Oh," Prince Jake uttered, both visibly unsure if he had accidentally blown our cover and surprised at the small piece of information given.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's a common mistake if you're not from South-East Asia. They taste similar."

He held back a sigh of relief before continuing. "So V'trix's...really a penpal?"

"Yeah, she is." El then frowned at a realization. "What? You think it's _childish_ to have one or something?"

"N-No, no! Just surprised..." Prince Jake pointed. "I don't see anyone doing that nowadays."

"He is right about that," Hanan added.

El calmed down but didn't seem to agree. "Why not? You just need to find the right friend."

"Hmph," I huffed loudly. Friend. How disgusting to hear that from a Yeerk.

"El." A third voice came from the back.

"Coming!" she hollered, with a passing glare at me. "Hanan, you take over?"

"Always." The older human took her pad as she took El's original standing spot, before hollering out to her. "Oh, the doughnuts need to be cooled."

"Got it!"

"Um...wait..." Cassie started but she had nothing convincing to stop the Controller from leaving.

"What's going on?" Prince Jake whispered. "Why is she acting like this Yeerk's a human? Isn't she the one?"

"Well, it's a convincing lie, I'll give you that," Rachel added uncertainly.

Hanan then glanced at us with a presentably bright smile. "A table for five. So which boys are treating the girls for this?"

My friends were at first puzzled by her statement.

"What do you mean by that?" Prince Jake cautiously asked.

"Oh, don't be so bash," Hanan uttered. "This is those group dates, right?"

Prince Jake flinched. "Um..."

Rachel looked surprised, as though the question was somehow provocative. "I...um, well…" It was unlike Rachel to be so flustered.

"Oh, oh. Am I hearing that right?" One of the older humans at their tables, a female, overheard our conversation with a kind chuckle. "My, how things change."

"Wait, this isn't what you think it is," Prince Jake stated clumsily.

"Hahaha. How adorably shy. I remember being thirteen. My parents wouldn't let me date by myself either. Remember the festival, dear?"

A male human laughed. "Of course. My friends begged me to help them when they knew I was with you that day."

"They had to with Lee's broken leg. And you saved the lion dance."

Hannah giggled. "Oh, would you all relaxed? You look as stiff as trees."

It was a true observation. Rachel appeared to be blushing, daring a quick glance to Tobias before shaking her head. Prince Jake had also become very red in the face. He and Cassie refused to make eye contact.

"You know what?" Cassie started, squeezing a part of her artificial skin. "I think it was a bad idea to come."

"Aw, don't go. I can convince Boss to give you the special dinner sets. On the house. You gotta treat that special someone once in awhile. Life's too short to let it slip past you."

"Here, here, Hanan," one male dark-skinned human cheered with a raise of his drink.

"You're making this harder than it should be," Prince Jake groaned.

"Ok, ok. How about this? I'll get the booth for you guys. It's private-"

"Please, stop. Please."

Hanan gave an even louder laugh at Prince Jake's plead. "Sorry, sorry. Can't help it when you stick out like this. Though I don't get your wingman here." She looked at me, keeping on her beam. "Here to break the ice for them or something?"

"Ice. Ah-ys. How do you break something so small? Sm-awl. Awl. Awl."

Hanan twirled her lips to the side with narrowed eyes. "You're an oddball, aren't you?"

"Od-bawl. Od-bawl. Bawl." Although I had no idea what that word meant, it had a nice roll on my tongue for some strange reason. "What a wonderfully-sounding name. Sound-ding. Thank you."

"Uh, you're welcome?"

Prince Jake smacked his face with his hand. I believe that is a form of facepalming Marco had explained to me once.

"Well, then. I'll take you to your seats. Boss will love to hear about you all. Bet you he'll throw in free dessert."

"Really. You're making a mountain out of a molehill," Prince Jake pleaded nervously.

(Oh, come on, you lovebirds. We don't have time for your adorable denial rants,) Marco groaned with a distinctive tone he normally says when he'd roll his eyes. (Jake likes Cassie. Cassie likes Jake. Rachel and Tobias have a thing. We all know and nobody cares. We're here for this El girl, people.)

I didn't understand why my friends were looking more awkward - to the point that Rachel's face was bright red with both embarrassment and anger.

"Actually, we should get going. I remember I need to punch someone later."

(Wait! Hold on!)

This conversation wasn't going anywhere productive. Hanan was still convincing my friends to stay, even if they were clearly uncomfortable. And she was succeeding.

However, with all of the humans focusing on my friends, this would make a promising attempt to follow after El without being noticed.

My only focus was the Yeerk right then.

The insulting little filth. She practically threw insults at me when we first met! But this time, I would get her.

I took this opportunity to slip into the back, pushing my way past these two large and draping artificial skins. They were an unsuitable choice for a door in my opinion - how easily naive humans were to use such primitive materials.

"Are you sure you counted right, Kong Kong?"

The back room was a strange one. Most of everything was silver, white and grey. I didn't know what they all other than they were either hung on the wall or stacked neatly aside. There were colorful varieties along the large silver table, however.

The different smells were coming from there.

I swallowed. All of this was making my human mouth fill with liquid uncontrollably.

No, no. Do not lose focus, I told myself. We were in enemy territory. El was indeed a valid Controller but it couldn't be said the same for the rest of the humans in this location.

Standing at a large silver door was the Controller and an older male human with a white artificial skin wrapped around his waist and a smaller one around his neck. His arms were folded as he gave a disapproving stare at the door.

What I assumed from the Controller's earlier statement, Kong Kong must be his name. Different from other human names I've heard.

"I counted correct," he said. "Only noticed them gone now."

"You double checked with the delivery truck, right? We just got those condiments last week."

"Yes. I've not used all of them yet."

"I just came in this morning. And Hanan wouldn't do anything behind our backs."

"I know. I don't know who might have taken them."

"Weird... Want me to double-count? Just to be sure."

Kong Kong admitted a sigh. "Yes. Need to wash the woks and pots."

"Sure sure, Kong Kong. I'll ask the neighbors later if anyone snuck in too." El beamed a smile and tossing back on her second artificial skin, she opened the door. Visible breaths of air seeped out from the bizarre white room for a moment. The elder human picked up a set of silver apparatus - all in different sizes - and took them outside.

It was only me. I stood up from my hiding spot-

I was stopped by a particular smell, wafted in with the others. It was partly familiar but different at the same time. But I knew this smell very well.

On a large table in the middle of the white room were littered with delicious things! It was a beautiful sight honestly. Among them was a bundle of-

"Cinnamon buns!"

I was not mistaken. However, they did look a little different. They also don't have the white creamy substance - the best part of eating a cinnamon bun.

I picked one. It was much hotter than the ones I had. I bit into it.

It was amazing! So many flavors in one! More than a cinnamon bun!

I must have more!

I ate. I didn't stop until I had every last one of this new version of cinnamon buns.

"I think we have a rat here. Geeuz, so cold."

I stopped immediately on the fifth. The large grey door opened and the Controller struggled out with a brown container in both her hands. Shoving the door shut with her shoulder, she carried her cargo to the edge of the table and examined what looked like damage.

"Either a clever one or a human one. It somehow took off the caps real eeeeee..." Her voice trailed off once she noticed me. Her eyes were very wide, a similar expression many humans gave to me for the things I did that even my friends found inappropriate.

I couldn't rule out that she could be hiding the fact she knew.

Then she glared. Profusely.

Ah. I was right. She did know.

Fair enough, Yeerk. There was no point in keeping this charade.

"Ye-"

 _Clank! Krack! Krack!_

I did not have a chance to call her out. Because she was already bolting towards me.

" _YOU THIEF!_ "

I admit. I was terrified of this human's reaction. I've seen many humans turn away when conversing with me.

Why was she not doing that?!

I turned, flushing to the wall. El barely missed me, except for a grab on my artificial skin.

"Gargh!"

The force of her running and me dodging threw her momentum off balance that her body knocked into the counter.

"El?!" I heard Hanan call out.

"Umm, hey! Hanan!"

"Wait, what?! What are you doing?!"

I do not know what was happening outside but it seemed my friends had their hands full with something.

El pulled herself up with teeth gritting tightly. "You're going to pay for that!"

I fled towards my only exit, the back door-

"El?" The elder human suddenly leapt through the door, holding a strange thin device like a weapon. His eyes widened at the sight of me nearly running into him.

No! I was trapped!

Kong Kong seemed to be recoiling from the fact that I was there. Enough time for me to spot another way - a staircase. I quickly dove up.

"Stop!" I heard El behind.

I searched for another exit. In a desperate attempt, I ducked into one of the rooms on the upper floor and locked the door shut. I took a quick glance at my surroundings - a different kind of interior compared to downstairs, with a musky, old smell.

(Ax! Demorph now and get out!)

I wheeled to a window, where I spotted an osprey. Marco.

"Get out of that room! No one is allowed in there!" _Thud! Thud!_ The door shook quite violently.

"Wait, El. Let me unlock it."

I heard that voice before but my mind was too focused on my demorphing.

 _Krack!_

I had already begun changing, tearing off my artificial skins. My tail had touched something to fall to the floor but I was too focused on escape. I quickly morphed into my Northern harrier bird as I darted to the open window and joined Marco on a ledge.

"Got it."

Just in time too. The door flew open.

"Where is he?! Where did he go?!" El hurried to the window, discovering my discarded artificial skin before glancing at an outdoor staircase. "Are you kidding me?!"

Her anger was short-lived once she wheeled around. "Oh, no. No, no, no." She leapt down to the floor, anxiously grabbing the object that I knocked over. "Please don't be broken."

She tended it carefully for a moment and placed it back at its original spot before leaving the room with a loud bang.

" _Where are they?!_ "

(That was too close,) Marco droned. (Seriously, Ax. What were you thinking?)

(They had cinnamon buns,) I confessed.

(No. That was the Five-Spice doughnuts. He heavily sighed. Jake is going to kill you-)

(Ax.)

That was Prince Jake. We looked up to see the others in their bird morphs on the stairway. And Prince Jake had a particularly dark stare, making his peregrine falcon very threatening and frightening.

(But they had doughnuts.)

* * *

Hello all! Our next chapter: what happens when you put Ax in a small Chinese restaurant? It becomes the equivalent of a bull in a China shop. XD

I've had many ideas relating to what Ax would do with the Yan Fu Wok but to be honest, with the new change in the direction, I never imagined to make it like this (and that he gets chased out by a Controller). Additionally, this restaurant is more based on the small places I know here in Singapore so it's not really a traditional Chinese shop - especially when El's great uncle originated from Taiwan. So I might be a bit wrong in Amercian Asian food (though last time I was in USA, my friends and I were able to find few South-East Asian places).

If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I hope you enjoy it!

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.

PS. Yeah this is two chapters upload in a short time but I had forgotten to update at one point hence the influx. Updates will go as normal, biweekly.


	8. The Clandestine

**EIGHT: RACHEL**

* * *

Jake was hopping mad. Really mad.

It can be scary sometimes when he takes the leader thing seriously. And I didn't blame him for being angry. None of us did. And especially with what happened in the restaurant.

But this was Ax. When there's food, there's no stopping him.

(I cannot believe you, Ax!)

(I apologize, Prince Jake.)

"No! It's not alright!"

From the first floor, kitchen window, we could hear El shouting.

"He ate our pastries! Our _pastries_! And he freaking ran out of the fire escape naked!"

"What? I said he was an oddball but I didn't mean he should take it literally."

Jake wasn't the only one angry at Ax. And honestly, El sounded a bit scary.

And Jake wasn't done with Ax yet.

(Do you know what I had to do so that Hanan wouldn't go to the kitchen?!) Jake continued. (I jumped. I jumped on a table and did the Twist! In public!)

(You did?) Marco uttered. (Whoa, didn't know you had it in you. Good job, leader.)

(Don't even, Marco. I'm never showing my face there again!) His piercing eyes turned back to Ax. (The same goes for you. From now on, you're not stepping a foot there! Even if there is a Yeerk.)

(I understand,) Ax whimpered, his head dropping lower and lower.

(So what should we do now?) Marco asked. A little distraction on Jake so that Ax could have some saving grace. (We can't go back unless we wanna invoke this girl's wrath.)

(Hmph. We shouldn't be afraid of this Yeer-)

(Ax,) Jake warned and Ax hunched back down.

(Why don't we just morph into something small and sneak in?) I suggested. (Like cockroaches.)

(I don't think we should. If one of the customers see us, that could hurt their business's reputation,) Cassie pointed. (And they have cats.)

Oh. Right. I remembered El saying not only were their cats one of the reasons for the restaurant's popularity but also in her own word, "better than pest control".

And to do the cockroach idea to an old man's restaurant, that wouldn't sit well with me.

 _Creak!_

We heard the door open. Sharing the second floor of the fire escape were two rooms - the one Ax escaped out and a girl's bedroom. Well, I couldn't call it that. More like a kid version compared to the next room, an explorer's study. The study was brimmed with old photos and books while the bedroom had Christmas lights, art stuff and Polaroid pictures.

Both were clustered but they had their own charms in a way. Like two different time capsules.

The one who entered the bedroom was El, shutting the door behind her.

"Ledger, ledger," she repeated, searching through the artsy mess.

For a moment, it was almost like this was an ordinary girl going through her normal life.

"It's where I left it, El."

Then came that tone. That condescending, brooding tone.

"Yup, got it." El's voice changed back to her cheery one. Like that was normal to her.

She picked up a tattered book with Chinese writing from her dresser, glancing up to a large mirror. She then scowled.

"Seriously, all that work we did and some idiot goes and eats them up. Without paying!"

Her expression changed, an indifferent one with her left fingers curled around her chin.

"I'm more surprised someone would attempt to steal from Liang. Your relative is a visually-terrifying human."

It switched back to anger. "Kong Kong is the least of his worries. He's got _me_ now!"

Switched. This time, cold irritation. "Include me as well. I put a lot of time and effort helping you with those pastries this morning."

I could not believe my eyes and hearing. All of us couldn't.

(I was right,) Marco gasped. (She does have a Yeerk.)

(I'm sorry, am I seeing this right?) I asked. It was a crazy thought. This host was talking freely with her Yeerk.

Or the Yeerk was reenacting how the human would respond to her. Disturbing and sickening.

(What's going on?) I uttered. (Why is this Yeerk talking to her host like they're friends?)

(It wouldn't,) Ax continued. (There is nothing for a Yeerk to gain from a free-moving host.)

(Exactly! This doesn't make sense. They're the bad guys here.)

"I mean...what kind of nitwit is he?!" El hollered, pitching her right hand up. "He literally left his clothes!"

"I cannot answer that if stupidity is an inheritance of his."

(I am not stupid, you ignorant Yeerk!) Luckily, we were too far for El to pick up direct thought-speech.

"However, I will agree that was an odd choice of action. And without reason. For a human."

"Where did Cassie and Rach even find him?"

"It would be best to ask them next time."

The Controller stomped her right foot. "I'd rather demand all of them to _pay_ for the food!"

And now it just got worse. We owe money to a Controller.

(Oh no,) Cassie groaned.

(Ugggh, why Ax, why?) I grumbled.

Birds don't have any way of expressing faces like humans do. But Jake's stare was getting darker by the second, all on Ax whose head was sinking into his chest.

El balled up her right hand into a fist. "When I get my hands on him, I'll make him wash dishes for a whole week."

"I wonder if that's wise. He seemed to have difficulty in mobility-based tasks."

"Then I'll make him stand with a bucket of water for six hours!"

"Hm. Interesting choice-"

" _On his head!_ "

"Ah. Yes, that is very much you."

(Honestly, I kinda want to see that now after what you did, Ax-Man,) Marco droned.

(Ditto.) Jake sighed. (Beats having to pay her back.)

(I do not understand. Why are you agreeing with the enemy on this?)

(Ax. One of these days, you got to learn more self-restraint in public.)

(I do not see the point of this 'bucket'. It sounds like a flimsy attem-)

 _Knock, knock!_

El quickly wheeled around just to see the old man, Mr Liang, walk in. She lifted the book to him. "Here, Kong Kong. I'll let V'trix know she'll need to update the numbers for the losses."

For some reason, he had a disapproving expression but not towards El.

"What's up?"

"Your group leader is downstairs."

Oddly, the Controller's face stiffened. The book lowered.

"His name is Tom?"

We flinched.

Tom.

Jake's brother. My cousin.

The last person we expected to be there. Or anywhere that had to deal with Yeerks. Because he was a Controller.

(What is _he_ doing here?) Marco uttered. Good question.

(They are Yeerks,) I said. (This has to be an important meeting or something.)

Because if Tom was here, it couldn't be good.

"I do not like him." I couldn't agree more with Mr Liang. That wasn't Tom anymore.

Just like El wasn't El anymore.

"Oh...him..." She lifted her head up with an assuring smile. "Probably community work again. I'll go check what he wants."

Mr Liang really showed that he didn't like this, folding his arms. But he nodded and left the room.

El didn't leave yet.

"V'trix," she called worriedly.

Then she glowered.

"What does he want?" the Yeerk hissed. She then left the bedroom.

(What should we do?) Cassie asked.

(I don't like this.) Without a word, Jake flew upwards. It was something he'd never do, go off like that but this was Tom. We followed, joining him on a window sill of the building.

Sure enough, Tom was outside.

 _Ding!_

And El stepped out, glaring daggers.

"Hey, Sal," Tom greeted with a casual wave. "Sorry to drop in unannounc-"

"Back. Now," she said abruptly and was already off into a thin alley between the restaurant and an acupuncture shop.

That was the perfect place for two Yeerks to secretly talk together. She kept an eye out until Tom trailed after her. But birds stayed above and Yeerks didn't think to look up.

"What do you want?" El snapped with that strange tone. This time, she wasn't hiding it.

"Are you still mad about last week's outing? It was an accident. But hey, everyone had a good laugh out of it."

Tom patted her on the shoulder. But she quickly shrugged it off with a step back.

"No hard feelings. Let's put it behind us-"

"Cut the act. No one is here, you Y'shol."

Tom's facade dropped like a needle, with a dark, smug smile.

This was a Yeerk to Yeerk conversation.

"You should watch your manners, Orekor. Can't help you if someone were to come after you."

(Orekor? Didn't El say her name was V'trix?) Cassie said.

El was unfazed. "That a threat?"

"I'm only looking out for you. That's all. Someone needs to keep an eye on you."

Hostility between their own wasn't uncommon. We've seen a few backstab one another.

"Is that your reason to be here? To check up on me?"

"Well, that's one. After all, you're infamous. The little grub prodigy fallen from grace, stuck in half of a host. That never gets old."

The first sentence got Marco's attention. (Wait, could this Yeerk have been a Sub-Visser or something?)

(So this Yeerk's important,) I stated. I wondered if we could use that.

('Half a host'?) Cassie repeated.

El's Yeerk rolled her eyes away, slipping her left hand into her pocket. This treatment was something common. And she was blocking it all out.

Tom kept pushing.

"Aren't you sick and tired to be called, what is it humans say? The 'black sheep'? It doesn't hurt to ask for my help. We have to stick together-"

"Is that all you have to say?"

That shut Tom up. With her bored stare drilling into him.

"Are you trying to enlist me to be your scapegoat or use me as a stress ball to take your frustration out?"

"What?" Tom's voice darkened.

"If anyone is a black sheep in the Empire, it would be you. Seven-and-three-quarter dronak cycles out in the field and a low-levelled Yeerk like you is still trying to surpass my achievements just like Temrash did? How immature."

(Temrash?) Jake uttered.

 _Thump!_

It went fast. Tom's hands lashed onto her jacket, nearly taking her off her feet and slamming her to the wall.

I almost leapt. We all did out of reaction. But we couldn't give our positions away.

So we had to watch.

If this wasn't about Yeerks, this would look like Tom was bullying El. And I'd probably jump in and stop him. I guess a part of me still wanted to. This was a friend I knew from school.

Tom's body was a teenager, taller and stronger than El. He could easily hurt her to make a point.

But she simply looked unamused. Like he couldn't do a thing. And as crazy as it sounded, that was reassuring.

"You're unwanted, _Werch_ ," he hissed. That word, Werch. He exaggerated it with ill intent. "One of these days, that attitude will be the end for you."

"I should say the same to you too, Y'shol," she rebuked back.

Tom's face scrunched up. He looked ready to attack. No, the Yeerk was.

But El added more salt to the wound.

"You are nothing but a replacement for your previous predecessor, Sarric. Just as I was for mine."

That got Tom riling. To the point of grounding teeth.

Then it was like he was losing it. He gave a cracking smile, his eyes telling her he wasn't to be messed around with.

It was almost...scary.

"I'll show you. You and the Empire. I'm no one's replace-"

"Are you done?"

His maddening expression immediately died out. El didn't care what he wanted to say.

"Good." She shoved him off, spreading out the wrinkles of her parka. "Now leave. I have work to do."

Tom stood still with shaking fists. You could tell he wanted to have the last say but got nothing. Seeing that he wouldn't budge, she turned to leave.

"I want to know," he demanded, stopping her. "Were you near the construction site?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No. I was here."

Tom didn't look convinced.

"If you don't believe me, ask the humans inside."

The two Yeerks kept on the stalemate for another few seconds.

It was finally Tom who gave up, giving a "Tsk!" at her. "Don't go causing our people more trouble, understand?"

As if that was enough for a final word, he left.

(Wow. Now that's tense. Tom's Yeerk versus this girl's. Looks like they got some history,) Marco pointed.

(What should we do? We got Tom here to worry about,) Cassie asked.

Jake thought for a moment. By now, Tom had already disappeared around the corner. (We're here for El. Not Tom. Stick to the plan.)

I knew Jake. He didn't mean what he said. He wanted to go after Tom, find a way to save him.

Maybe one day, we could. But not that day.

"You're thinking."

El was in an intellectual kind of pose - like a detective. Once she said that, she relaxed her arms down to her sides.

"What makes you say that?" El asked herself. No, the Yeerk _asked_ El.

"You always make that face whenever you're thinking. Penny for your thought?"

"El, you cannot buy thoughts-ah. Right." She beamed softly. "He's the second one to assume we were at the site today."

"You're talking about that weirdo kid, Marco, right?"

Marco jumped, feathers ruffled. (Excuse me?!)

El frowned. "He was acting strange. Think he's connected?"

"It's a possibility," the Yeerk chimed. "But it was clear he had interest in you. Human attraction-"

"Pffft!" El made a raspy sound. "Please. I know his type. He's an insecure Casanova who thinks he's hot but the only thing he can turn on is the microwave."

Oh!

Oooh!

I couldn't contain it. Because that was the best insult ever to hear on Marco.

(Oooooh. Burned,) I boosted.

(Ouch,) Jake murmured.

(Stop. I'm already wounded here,) Marco groaned.

"That's...rather a harsh statement for you to say, El."

(Oh, great. The Yeerk's defending me now.)

"Besides…" El cast her gaze down. Sullen. "He'll be just like everyone else."

"El…" The Yeerk seemed to stop herself just as the Controller's right hand shot up, palm up like a stop sign. "Alright… Still, it bothers me a human and Yeerk saw us in another place when we were working here..."

There was a moment of silence between them. Like they were dealing with their own thoughts. El was the first to break it.

"Say, V'trix? Do you think it's an Andalite?"

It was a suggestion that we had thought of, and one the Yeerk didn't seem to reject. Instead of the common fear we'd see Yeerks have when our presence was made, she was intrigued.

"Another possibility. It's been years since we've seen one. But...why pick you?"

She leaned back against the wall, deep in thought.

"You're thinking if they snuck my DNA off, we'd have seen them, right?"

"Correct. I have heard the DNA donor receives a cataleptic side-effect. Neither of us has experienced that?"

"I don't think so."

"Hm," Vtrix hummed. "I wonder if it includes temporary memory loss then…"

Another moment of silence.

"Come to think of it," El started. "There's that deal with the whole Andalite Bandits about."

"Yes. Everyone talks about them nonstop."

"Think it's them behind this?"

(Wait! What?!) Marco hollered.

(Hey! Don't go putting your assumptions on us! You're the one who did this!) I added defensively.

"So you believe the dangerous Bandits took your DNA and are acting as you?" Vtrix asked, finding that far-fetched.

"Well, how else can you explain it? We can't be in two places at once," El pointed "Maybe Andalites have some new way of getting DNA without being noticed. Like ninjas."

"Now that would be surprising if they've had that sort of abilities."

(Now hang on a second here!) Marco hopped closer to the edge out of frustration. (Do you know the kind of things we could have done if that was possible?!)

(Shh!) Jake hushed. (Get back here.)

"However, what bothers me is why they chose you. I'm a Werch, clear as Madra's moonlight. Why bother to pick us when we have no value?"

"That is true…"

Finally, some reasonable deduction. Though I had no idea what they were talking about.

"Moreover, if Andalites are involved, then that creates a problem for us. Their presence could endanger us. Your family too."

Are you kidding me?! She was turning this around!

(She's making us the bad guys here!) I yelled.

"You're right. This is kinda cutting close to home."

(She's delusional too!)

"First that strange human child, your school friends and now this. What is going on?"

She glanced at the ground, defeated before closing her eyes. Thinking.

"Hey, V'trix. Why don't we go to the site?" She opened her eyes, surprised on the suggestion. El continued. "We could look for answers."

The Yeerk was quick to disagree with a concerned face. "And what should we do if we encounter the Bandits? Tell them to stop morphing into you?"

"What? No way. It's like talking to a brick wall, right? They won't listen," she uttered. "I was thinking we could find out the reason."

(I hate to break it with you. But we're _not_ the ones!) Marco hollered.

"So a recon… A bit dangerous. These are Andalites we're talking about."

"Then do you wanna leave this alone?"

"No. The faster we do this, the faster we can go back to our lives. If we find their targeted source, we could direct them away from us."

(This...this is all crazy,) I muttered. We were hearing our enemy strategizing on us. (This is almost laughable.)

"Got it. Under the covers like always?"

"Yes. The less my people know, the better."

"So this is our unanimous vote?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let's get going." El proudly punched her fist into her other palm. "But seriously, I thought we were done with those stuck-up centaurs."

"You and me both."

She collected herself and went back to the back door, first. I could see the resolve on her face. Whether that was the Yeerk or her. I couldn't tell.

(Okaaay,) Marco groaned before a couple of weak laughs. (What on Earth just happened?! We're being accused here!)

(Are you seriously buying this, Marco?) I asked. (That Yeerk has a few screws loose to think she can put the blame on us.)

(This has to be scripted, right? This Yeerk's trying to humanize itself.)

(Is it really?) Cassie asked.

(What are you saying?) I uttered at her.

"Kong Kong, I'm heading out for a bit."

El had opened the door and yelled inside. Her great uncle then stepped out halfway - his face was really hard to read.

"Does this have to do with your group leader?"

"Not really. I'm just gonna get something for the community. It'll be quick."

He said nothing at first.

"Kong Kong, I'm a big girl now," El assured him. "I'll be fine."

Mr Liang heaved a soft sigh. "...Alright. Be back by 9."

"Got it."

"Your bracelet-"

El raised up her hand. Around the wrist was a green beaded piece of jewellery. "Already wearing."

An emotionless nod was his final approval. Then he went back inside while El went to her bike, with a backpack slung over her shoulder she had taken from inside.

Wait...that looked familiar.

(Let's go,) Jake said.

We flew off, eyes on El as she rode into the street at her own casual pace.

(I don't think this is all scripted,) Cassie continued. (It's crazy but...I think this is a genuine friendship between host and Yeerk.)

I refrained myself from telling her that was crazy. But Marco got the jump.

(That _is_ crazy. Is this another dimension we landed ourselves in, one where Yeerks are nice?)

(Everything about this is strange,) Cassie urged. (And this Yeerk...she's not like the others.)

(This isn't like before, Cassie,) I added. I knew the kind of person she was, sympathetic even to our own enemies. That side of her has helped us before. Once.

The only reason she was acting like this was because that Yeerk talked to her before she died back at the warehouse.

(There's no telling what this Yeerk will do if we all go friendly. She could do the exact same thing like before. Trick us. You can't let her get to you like before.)

(Yeah. But Aftran changed.)

(That's Aftran. This is a totally different Yeerk. We don't know a single thing about her. The only thing that matters is she knows us!)

(Uh, yeah. Rachel?) Marco called. (It's been already an hour since the incident.)

(Well...) I couldn't disagree with him. This was far too long for a Yeerk not to rat us out. But I was persistent. (Maybe she's the real patient type. She's just waiting for the right moment to tell the others about us.)

(I do not think she can.) That came unexpectedly out of Ax.

(Why do you say that?) Jake asked.

(Because of her Werch status.)

(Oh, right. I was wondering what that word meant,) Cassie pointed. (Sounded like a name you'd give if you hated someone.)

(It is for a similar reason,) he explained. (Werch is a Yeerk term for criminal.)

Criminal.

That was one word I never thought to hear.

We've learned a few Yeerk words and their meanings. Every time we heard the word, Visser, there was a sense of dread and alarm for us. Because it was a rank at the top, a dangerous enemy.

 _Werch_ had a different weight compared to Visser. The word, criminal, to me, didn't sound as dangerous as Visser but it was still unsettling.

El had a criminal in her head.

(Oh, greeeat,) Marco groaned loudly.

* * *

Hello all! It's a late update mainly because of one major thing and one small thing. Major thing: I completely forgot about this update! :'D I had been too busy with life and focused on my art stuff that I really forgot about the biweekly update. And small, I actually had difficulty in editing a small part that I had to ask a lot of help on it.

Soooo yeaaah, my apologies for missing the update. I actually do write pre-chapters so that in case of writer's block or time problems, I'd at least have some chapters prepared for updates until then.

Regardless, hope you'll enjoy this chapter with more Yeerks insight and a depth with my two OCs.

If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I hope you enjoy it! I will make it up to ya by posting the next chapter next Sunday for the delay.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.

Additionally, I wanna thank Riviere Parley, an Animorph friend way back when I was still developing this story's plot on helping me out with Yeerk language, a big tribute to her own Yeerk language document that gave me insight how to create Yeerk words like Werch, Y'shol and y'xta (the translations for those two will be later). There are gonna be a lot more words I've created and it's a big thanks to her, I couldn't have done with her. :D You can also check out her fic in FFN, Symbosis!


	9. The Exposure

**NINE: MARCO**

* * *

(A Werch is a demoted Yeerk with no chance of redeeming themselves - their crimes range from treason, assassination, destruction to their Council and so on. Their own people mistreat them as the lowest of their hierarchy, because of how much distrust the name carries. It is also loosely referred to as useless or the defeated.)

(I'm surprised Yeerks even have their own laws,) Rachel grumbled.

(The name isn't given lightly, from what I've heard,) Ax explained. (A Yeerk can earn the title Werch if they have something their superiors want from them or to remove them from the pedestal. Any other Yeerk who has done a crime, either petty or dangerous, is disposed instead of branded the name.)

(That's...a bit morbid,) Cassie admitted.

(And why don't they lock these Werches up?) I asked.

(Starvation is already a fate worse than imprisonment for them. They die out quick from that but...why is this Yeerk alive?)

We were following El from above - six birds on one girl riding a bike. And along the way, Ax explained to us what Werch meant.

Whoopie.

(Do you suppose this Yeerk has something of value her superiors won't kill her off?) Jake pointed.

(Maybe that something valuable might be that new box,) Rachel added.

(Wait a minute. We're assuming it's Yeerk technology then,) I said. (That can't be right.)

I know what I saw. It was blue. It was glowing. It looked exactly like the same material as the box Elfangor gave to us. The only differences were it was a bit bigger and had more sides than it should.

(Preposterous. There is no way the Yeerks have gotten their hands on our morphing technology,) Ax grunted.

(Yeah. If they did, we'd have a lot of hosts who could morph,) Cassie said nervously.

A Controller with the capability of morphing. _That_ was a scary thought.

(She stopped,) Tobias uttered, bringing us back down to the most important matter.

True to his word, El had stopped at a road, opposite of the construction site. She parked it way behind a building before she cautiously headed to the site.

Which was weird. I was expecting El to waltz right through the open gate. Instead, she snaked her way around the back, swinging her hood over her head.

Like she was keeping a low profile.

(Ok, what is she doing?) I asked. No one answered, of course. (Why is she going in secret-ninja-style?)

(So she's literally sneaking in,) Rachel said. (Suits her real nice.)

(Come on,) Jake ordered. (Keep low and out of sight. We don't want to spook her away. Or get more Yeerks.)

We dipped down to the trees and spotted El putting on a pair of gloves before running her fingers along the busted fence. She quickly found what she was looking and pulled a loose piece aside for her to slip in like a mouse.

Once she was inside, she glanced around attentively.

"Notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"Well…" El studied the ground. "Footprints. Lots of them. Hooves too."

"Andalites. They were here."

"Whoa."

"What?"

Instead of answering, El immediately dug out something black and box-like from her bag, clicking off the cap.

(A camera?) I uttered.

 _Snap! Whirrrr!_

"Looks like something big hit that beam up there," El pointed out, zooming on the bent metal that thing rammed into.

"The height is...a bit concerning."

 _Snap! Whirrrr!_

(What is that device that Yeerk is using? Some sort of weapon?) Ax asked

(No, it's just a camera,) Cassie replied. (Humans use it to take pictures.)

(Pictures? Like the images in my television?)

(Um, well. Kinda. But still images.)

(That doesn't sound entertaining.)

"Let's go up top. I want a bird's eye view of the ground."

"Of course."

With a hop, El climbed her way up the staircase. Didn't matter to them how rickety or old it was, she was on the fifth in just two. With their first obstacle in the way. To get to a smaller platformed area of the floor, she needed to cross a beam, five floors off the ground.

And she just walked across it like she was on a tightrope. Since when did Yeerks get super agile?

"Graaagh," El groaned. "I hate heights…"

"Eyes forward. We're almost there."

Once they reached there, El just...stared into the distance. What? It was just the horizon and part of the mall far off.

"Alright," V'trix started to get El's attention. "What do you see?"

El peered over the edge nervously.

"Ugh. I foresee myself falling off here."

"I won't let that happen. Now, what do you see?"

She studied the ground below with a firm glance, from the fences to the centre.

"The footprints, they're scattered everywhere. I think they got spooked."

"Hm, perhaps from whatever made that dent. It's possible they weren't prepared. Maybe even surprised."

"Really? Thought they were all brave warriors who can take down anything."

(Not against a giant invisible monster,) I groaned.

"I'm more concerned about what those Andalites met. I've heard stories of how sly and capable they've been in the last year."

Now hearing that from our enemy, it felt pretty awesome.

"For them to be hesitating is already concerning."

"You know, if they were surprised, then they should have run away. But…" El peered a bit more. "Looks like they headed towards the dent."

"So they chased it."

(Because it was chasing you,) Rachel uttered tiredly.

"The tracks end there but, it looks like they went to the industrial area."

She cracked a small smile as if to say, "now we're getting somewhere".

What was this, Sherlock Yeerk and Watson El?

El then lifted up her camera to her eye, the lens zooming in and out on the ground below.

 _Snap! Whirrrr!_

(This is so strange,) Cassie said.

(You're telling me. Seeing a Yeerk acting out her host,) I pointed. (Kinda like a ventriloquist and his doll.)

(Oh. Well...not really that. But it's this Yeerk,) she explained. (Yeerks have complete control over their hosts, right?)

(Of course,) Ax answered.

(I don't get it. It's like this Yeerk's giving her a free pass.)

(That is impossible. A Yeerk is a Yeerk. They know no sympathy.)

(Ok, then. Why is El noticing things this Yeerk didn't? I thought they see everything the host's see.)

(That…) Ax was stumped. That was a good point.

(And shouldn't she know what El's thinking? Why the need for conversation?)

Another good point. A Yeerk would instantly know what the host would say. Yet _this_ was like seeing two different versions of El talking to each other. Any random passerby would think she was literally talking to herself, being crazy.

Moreover, I was starting to tell who was who, from the mannerisms, the expressions and tones. I was getting to understand this Yeerk's personality the more she interacted with El.

Which was...insane. Yeerks weren't sympathetic.

Right?

"Anything else?" we heard V'trix asked.

"Um... No blood? Wait, what's the color of Andalite blood?"

"Supposed to be tar black," she explained, making Ax go (Now see here!). "At least that's what other Yeerks told me."

"You believe them?"

"Nope."

I've probably said this before but this was unreal.

(I'd say this is Stockholm Syndrome,) Rachel was quick to throw that theory in. (El's probably already far gone in the head.)

(Could be. But Cassie is right about this being strange,) Jake pointed. (If this was an act, it's going a lot longer than I expected.)

(Maybe…) Cassie started cautiously as if it was too daring to say. But she said it. (Maybe she can't control her mind.)

That was a thought that never crossed my mind. Because that sounded crazy. Unbelievable.

(Wait, what?) I blurted.

 _Snap! Whirrrr!_

"Hm?" It was there that El stopped taking photos. "Is something the matter?"

She was glancing at the orange horizon again.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About you."

V'trix flinched with a look of surprise. "You don't to worry about me, El."

"I know. I know. I'm just making sure you're ok."

"Please. That Yeerk's remarks barely left a mark," V'trix chuckled, this time with a sense of arrogance. "I should be the one asking if you are alright… Those backslashes aren't directed to you but-"

"It's fine. Vtrix. Nothing I can't handle."

"But it reminds you of the past?"

Nothing.

"I apologize-"

El chuckled next. "I don't think we can escape our past. Or else how can we better ourselves?"

Nothing again. Like they were letting the silence go by peacefully.

"He's still trying to get that research from you, right?"

V'trix narrowed El's eyes tightly. "He can try with all his might. I will not let him have a freebie from my hardships. Most Yeerks will do whatever it takes for them to catch the eyes of the Council."

"And you did?"

"Hmph." V'trix huffed her nose. "That is one accomplishment I wished they had ignored. Arrogant, compulsive, callous, wrinkled gutters."

Wow. Was she angry? What on Earth were gutters?

She sighed. "That is in the past… I suppose this is my punishment for persuading past the boundaries of Z-physics. As the elders used to say, "reaching too far down the Naggrose-Mave roots will only burn you"."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It's a forgotten proverbial phrase. Not many grubs know about it."

"Oh. I think I get it. Like if you play with fire, you'll get burned."

"Not entirely but similar," Vtrix said, smiling with amusement. That beam was short lived. "I know his intentions. He is no different from every other Yeerk - a Werch is the best tool at their disposal. Put the work on us while they come out taking the praise. And if we're still alive at the end, they kill us off."

"They really don't like Werches, huh?"

"It's _Werch'ett_. Not Werches. There is no sympathy for us... But I won't give him the satisfaction."

"Of course. Because you got me, Vtrix. Two peas in a pod," El exclaimed.

(Ok. This is really making my stomach sick. Fast,) Rachel grumbled.

(I have to agree,) Ax added, (An alliance with the enemy, this human should be ashamed.)

I understood why. Yeerks were the enemy. Ax's people despised them. And they were taking over our world. So of course, Rachel's and Ax's opinions were clear.

Jake and I were on the border with this one. Jake had been a Controller once. My mom was one too.

Cassie and Tobias were the only ones quiet.

Still, something was eating me inside. As far as we've seen everything, it made me wonder just how and why did these two...became friends. Or acted like friends because this Yeerk was just alone or something. The only problem was...I wasn't convinced on the latter.

All of it looked natural. And that was a weird thing to think. What I was seeing on the top of the unfinished building, it was like normal friends spending time together.

El didn't look lonely.

"...Does it tire you, being ill-treated because of me?"

"Nope," El was quick to answer. "It's gotten fun since we first met."

"Even with the backwash?" V'trix shared her smile.

"I wouldn't be honest with ya if I said no too… Sometimes, it hurts. But I'm not alone. That's enough for me. But...what about you? How are you holding up?"

V'trix gave off a faraway look in El's eyes. "...Better. Since I have you, y'xta."

El smiled. I could tell that was hers, a little wider, brighter than V'trix's.

(Seriously,) Rachel mumbled. (How long are they going to keep up this charade?)

Was it?

El then lifted up her camera to take a picture of the horizon.

But she didn't hit the button.

Her smile disappeared. El peered from her camera with furrowed eyebrows.

"What?" V'trix's calm, brooding expression surfaced. "Those are Earth birds."

El wasn't convinced.

"They come together in flocks, correct? I'd say that would make a nice photo for your collect-"

"One of them is a bald eagle."

This time, it was hard to differentiate who was reacting. Because either one of them was hesitating before El gave a stunned expression. Or was it V'trix?

Then she narrowed her eyes tensely.

Quickly, El put her camera away and she twirled around, heading for the stairs.

Wait a minute. Was she talking about us?

(Hey, leader,) I called but Jake already noticed.

(Come on.)

We took to the sky and kept our eyes on El as she exited out of the site, shoulders crunched down.

(She's not heading to her bike,) I pointed. Instead, she walked down the street.

(I don't like this.)

(Should we go after her?) Rachel proposed.

(Of course, the good ole bird attack. That will scar El for life,) I droned.

(I'm serious.)

(I agree with you it's a solid tactic but we can't jump the gun. This Yeerk's supposed to be a criminal.)

(Ha. She can't be as dangerous as Visser Three.)

El turned around a corner. We followed.

And very suddenly, she was gone. Out of sight.

(Uh, did we miss her?) Rachel asked.

(What?) Cassie uttered. (Where did she-?)

We searched. No El in the streets or anywhere in plain sight. Like she got up and vanished.

(Super, we just lost a Controller,) I groaned.

(Wolves. We can track down her scent,) Jake suggested quickly.

Five of us soared down to the tarred ground while Tobias stayed up for a double-check. It was the most obvious solution - the nose of a wolf was a powerful tool of the trade for finding things, even people.

Cassie was already on the sniffing job, even before she finished her morph. And she already knew El's scent.

(Found it. She went this…) Cassie stopped. (Wait a minute.)

(What? She went in, right?) Jake asked.

(I...I don't know. Her scent's heading to the dumpster.)

I sniffed the ground once I was full wolf. It was easy to pick up El's scent - smelled like green tea and incense actually - but that quickly changed when a powerful odor of rotten eggs hit me hard.

(Oomfph, that reeks!) I snapped.

(She must have climbed on top to lose us.)

(This is going to make things harder,) Jake groaned. (Spread out.)

Everyone went their own ways, noses to the ground. I, on the other hand, stayed back. Because I was thinking and not letting the wolf do the job.

El climbed on the dumpster. How would she have known we would morph into wolves? Or even got away so fast that us birds wouldn't notice from above?

I noticed an open window above the dumpster.

Clever. Or maybe dumb luck.

The building was part of a series of closed down shops. The mall was supposed to be an answer to revive this part of the city but now, no one was sure what they'd plan to do with this amount of space. So these buildings were left alone - some with scaffolding.

Inside, I picked up her trail and followed it.

"So we're just gonna wait it out here?"

"For two hours. Maybe three."

I stopped and hunched low. On the second floor was El, quietly sitting on a counter. She was peering out of a window on the lookout for us.

If I spooked her now, she might bail. But should I risk getting the others?

"Greeeat. Why do they have to pick a swell time to be here?" El hissed.

"Their timing is impeccable. If the Bandits really are here...we don't stand a chance."

"So...got a plan?" El asked worriedly.

She opened her mouth-

(Found her!)

I glanced up just as the sound of a snarl got El's attention. Down the hall, I could see Rachel charging in head first with loud noises coming from the staircase.

"Wolves?-Bandits!" The two tones overlapped each other in between the sentences. El was already booking it.

What rotten timing! I leapt out, hoping to stall her. She took just a second to react to a wolf in front of her but with a skip back, she darted out of the room.

(Catch her!) Jake ordered.

(Now you're talking!) Rachel hollered with a boost in her sprint.

Ax didn't leap into the chase. Yet. He was already back to being an Andalite before Jake gave the order. A head start and an Andalite was just as fast as a wolf.

(Ax!) Jake shouted. (You know your orders.)

A stalk eye turned to him. Ax didn't slow, and for a second I thought he was going to pretend he hadn't heard. But finally, he replied, right as his thought-speak range started to wane. (Yes, Prince Jake.)

It wasn't like Ax to go wildcard. This particular Controller had him in some kind of tiff. Great, an aristh was an attitude.

And we were off. Wolves after a girl.

If you are ever unfortunate enough to be pursued by wolves, I hate to tell you this, but you're screwed. Four wolves can take down animals much larger than a human, like elk and bison.

It should go without saying that you can't outrun a wolf. And there's really nothing a human can do to a wolf to deter it. This is an animal that faces a deer kick to the face every time it wants lunch, and humans don't have a chance without some kind of weapon.

So, should be easy to catch one kid. Right?

(She's heading to a dead end,) Tobias said overhead.

(Ha! She's trapped!) Rachel boosted. We spotted El on the next floor.

El didn't stop. At all. Instead, she kicked herself up the wall, hands immediately gripping the edge and pulling herself up to the next floor.

(You jinxed it,) I grumbled.

The only problem was this girl was dead set on getting away from us with her acrobatic skills at all cost. It'd take twenty seconds to try and keep up, especially with junk lying around and stairs.

This Yeerk knew how to evade. Just don't let her feet touch the floor.

(We aren't trying to hurt you!) Cassie explained.

"Get away from us, you stupid centaurs!"

(This is getting nowhere!) Rachel hissed and she strayed off down a hall.

Suddenly, Ax galloped right in front of El couple of metres in front of us. That immediately stopped her.

(Cease your running, Yeerk,) Ax warned, taunting her with a whisk of his tail.

"Like we're going to listen to the likes of you!"

She sprinted. Full throttle.

That took Ax by surprise.

(Wait! Stop!) he demanded, swinging his tail. It was out of reflex.

El did the impossible. She literally skidded right under Ax's legs, missing the blade tail entirely. And scooted back up into her run like a hare.

(What?!)

(No more games!) Rachel came in fast. This time, switched to her bear form.

Really?! Her battle morph?!

(Rachel, no!) Cassie yelled.

(I got her!)

Nope, Rachel didn't.

El had got to be the luckiest person alive or wasn't human. Wasn't even fazed by a grizzly bear in her way - or maybe she was but the Yeerk wasn't. Just as Rachel dove down with extended arms, El hopped.

And rolled over the back of a _nine-hundred-pound bear._

(How-?!)

(Are we really having a hard time catching her?! ) I hollered. She was just a kid! We were _animals_!

And she was still going. Right to the end of the level.

(Don't tell me,) Cassie started. (She's going to jump?!)

Ok, that was _insane_!

"I hate this, V'trix!"

(Hey! Stop!) Rachel shouted with shock.

"I really HATE THIS!"

One foot on the railing and El rocketed off, safely landing on the scaffolding of the next door building.

And she kept on running.

(Argh!) Rachel stomped a paw.

(She's getting away!) Tobias hollered.

(I hate to say this but wolves aren't going to cut it,) I pointed, demorphing.

Rachel was right about changing morphs - though I didn't agree with her choice. We weren't in flat terrain or a forest. We were in a concrete jungle. This spunky Controller's element.

(I'm taking the scaffolding!) I told Jake, finishing up my gorilla morph.

Ax was already on a running start. He and I leapt across the thirty-foot-tall gap, Ax heading straight inside and me going up. The others hurried down to ground level, rather than risk a long jump with their morphs.

It wasn't an easy climb, the structure shaking from my own weight. But opposable thumbs were way handier than paws. It was easy as pie catching up to her on the scaffolding.

"Gah!" I gave her a fright as I made it to the floor she was on. She turned tail towards a rickety wooden wall.

(Would you stop running from us?!) I demanded.

She stepped back. "Just leave us alone-Ah!" El shrieked, losing her balance. Her heel had knocked into some piece of debris.

 _Crack!_ The old wooden wall broke from her clumsiness. Beyond that was open air.

She was falling.

"El!"

(No!) I bolted on knuckles and feet. Right over the edge and I immediately grabbed her by the arm. (Got you!)

She was safe. Swaying against the wall below.

I was laughing in my head.

Ha-ha… My heart was racing. I saved this girl. This Controller.

Then my next thought was, oh my god, I was hanging on the ledge. I could have died!

(Marco, are you alright?) Jake hollered.

(Yeah,) I replied. (Man, you really gave us our run for our money.)

I then realized she wasn't moving.

(Hey, are you alright?)

I pulled us back up, with El in my arms. Her eyes were closed and her knit cap had slipped off into her hood.

Wait. Did she really hit the wall that hard?

Uh oh...

(Is she alright?) Cassie asked as the others caught up.

(I'm innocent here.)

(What? What did you do, Marco?) Rachel uttered harshly.

(Nothing! She's still breathing,) I defended. (I think she hit her head.)

I glanced down again. That was when it really hit me. Twisted my insides a bit.

She was just a kid. She was just like us, really. Four animals, one bird and an alien were nearly ready to take her down like any Controller.

And...if I'm being honest, she was kinda cute.

(I've had enough of surprises today,) Rachel complained. (Just what is she?)

(We can't ask now. She's out cold,) Cassie said.

Jake sighed deeply and asked the same tiring question. (What is going on?)

Hey, everyone wanted to know. I did too. I think we've gotten beyond our quota of weird things for one day.

But right now, we got a situation here. That should be our main focus now.

(Sooo,) I uttered. (What should we do now?)

* * *

As promised for the missed update on the last chapter, here is Chapter Nine. :D It's an interesting chapter I enjoyed (to be honest, Marco chapters are real fun to do, as long as I don't overdo on his paranoia too) because it really puts a challenge on the Animorphs with something they've never seen before and at the same time, see what V'trix and El can do together. And there'll be more these two will show - I really have a lot of fun working on their character developments and to see how that will unfold with the Animorphs getting into their lives.

Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I might have some trouble with the next chapters but do hope I'll get the next up for the biweekly deadline.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.


	10. The Interrogation

**TEN: JAKE**

* * *

We didn't go back to the barn - too dangerous to bring a Controller there. We've learned our mistake the last time. So we picked one of the abandoned shops nearby.

 _Crack! Thud!_

Marco pulled the boards off the back door, with El on his shoulder. We hustled inside while he placed her down on a chair at the back and Ax tied a rag over her eyes and ropes around her hands. If this was Chapman or Visser Three, they wouldn't do this gently.

She may be a Controller but she was still a kid, trapped by a parasitic alien. Rachel might also have been right that she had Stockholm syndrome to be mentally sane. So this was a bit personal to me, when you've been in a similar situation as hers.

It wasn't by choice. It was a slip up that got my head right into a Yeerk pool, ending up being controlled by one who used to be Tom's.

Three days I spent being locked in my head. Taunted by that Yeerk, seeing myself trying to escape. If it weren't for my friends, I would have been far too gone to be saved.

And there we were again.

"Should we-"

I quickly cut Cassie off with a finger to my lips. We couldn't talk right next to a Controller. Quietly, I signalled everyone to move to the next room.

"Are we really going to do this?" Cassie asked meekly. "She's been through a lot."

"We've already discussed this," Rachel pushed. "We can't let her go. And we need answers."

Cassie bit her lower lip. She knew where and how this was going to end.

We were at war. Our lives were more important than one person. If El really did know enough about us, then we'd have no choice.

Even if I didn't totally agree.

"She knew our names and she has a Yeerk," Rachel pointed. "She's dangerous."

"As much as this girl's bad news," Marco started. "There are way too many unexplained things. And her actions so far have not proven us one bit she knows us."

"And I've said it before. She could be faking it."

"Rachel. She called us bandits. I'm already convinced she's not the same girl we saw from before."

"Maybe that's part of the act?" Rachel didn't sound certain.

I sighed. "This would be a lot easier if she just outright said she knew us."

"Since when do Yeerks ever make it easy for us?" Marco droned.

Then we heard shifting and groans in the other room. El was waking up.

"For now, let's get to the bottom of this," I whispered. "That's why we are doing this."

It was all we could do.

"Alright, Ax. She's all yours," Marco said, patting him on the shoulder.

"But gently. This is a kid, Ax. A kid," I told him quietly. "She's already dealing with that Yeerk in her head."

He nodded and took position. The rest of us morphed into animals as backup.

"...W-What?" El's uttered. She tried to look, move her hands.

Oddly, she wasn't panicking like we expected her to be. Unusually calm for someone in her situation.

"Hey… Are you the same ones from before?"

Same ones? That was an odd thing to ask.

Then her body relaxed.

"Who are you?" came out the strange tone.

This was the Yeerk.

I nodded at Ax and he moved forward, hooves clopping on wooden floors, circling around the girl on purpose, letting the Yeerk know who she was dealing with.

This was all an act. I told myself. Just an act.

I was asking a lot from Ax. None of us had the will to do this, not when you were interrogating a kid. But he was determined to play the role.

(You are in my power, Yeerk. If you want to live, you will answer my questions,) Ax said with exaggerated Andalite arrogance.

The Yeerk was strangely calm. She didn't shudder or whimper.

(Now tell me. Where did you find the decadron box?)

First major question. But she frowned, tilting her head.

(Answer me, Yeerk filth!) Ax roared. (Where did you find it?)

"You are not in charge."

I jumped.

I first thought, did she find out? No. Did she remember?

Ax was also taken by surprise but it took a few seconds for him to regain back his composure.

(Do not defy me!) For good measure, Ax whipped the blunt part of his tail blade at her throat. (Know your place, Yeerk.)

She definitely felt it, her right hand tightening on the wooden arm of the chair.

Then she huffed through her nose.

"Oh. We perfectly know our place. Is this some newfangled tactic you're trying out or did the big boys let you try the wheel for once?"

(Excuse me?)

"Please. You're wasting your time. If this was a real interrogation, you wouldn't be handling a Werch."

His two wide eyestalks wheeled to me.

This was going bad very fast!

(Should we bail?) Marco asked.

Ax heaved a deep breath and glared back. (We are at war here. You do not get any mercy for this intolerance.)

"Oh, that's fine with me. You Andalite care only for our extinction. Humans are nothing but collateral damage."

Ax's body twitched again as he tumbled back.

(Ax, don't listen to her. She's messing with your head,) Rachel snapped.

I should have pulled him out. Stop the interrogation and have Marco maybe, knock her out or something.

He then puffed up his chest and fixed all four eyes on her. (You've forgotten who has your life. I'm the one in control.)

She snorted. "An amateur like you? This may be war but I can tell just how exaggerated your acting is. Don't you have a second witness while questioning the suspect? Never a lone interrogator. Or one lacking any skill."

(You-!)

"So why don't you stop this charade and let me talk to your leader."

(I am the one in charge!) Ax demanded.

"No, you're not. If you were, your friends would have already asked the questions by now."

(She's bluffing,) Rachel pushed.

(Enough,) I said. (Ax, we have to stop.)

He tightened his fists. He didn't like that he was being called back, away from his enemy in the same room as him.

"I want to know." Before I could make the next decision, the Yeerk continued. "You have absolutely nothing to gain from a Werch so why this pointless interrogation?"

(That's because we want to know-) Marco was about to shout until Cassie stopped him, a headbutt to his arm. (Ouch.)

"...I will cooperate if you tell me the reason. But only on my conditions."

(And that is?) Ax asked.

"I talk to your leader and you take off these binds."

(Ha, yeah right,) Rachel snorted.

(And what if I simply finish this 'pointless interrogation'? End your life now,) Ax tossed a last-ditch effort.

"Then what was the point of capturing me from the start?"

Ax frowned reluctantly. She got him there.

"You need answers. And you believe I have them. I'm willing to listen, on my terms."

She was determined to put us at a stalemate.

There was no other choice. (Ax, you're going to have to coach me. Rachel, get ready if she tries anything.)

Ax nodded, giving me the stand.

Oh, I did not like the idea. I was going to force information out of a human being. A kid. I really wanted someone else to do this.

This was a Yeerk, I told myself. An enemy. Act Andalite. Act...alien, I guess?

(I am the leader,) I spoke, trying the best I could at imitating Andalite tone.

"Ok. How about taking off the blindfolds so we can see? You're only holding half of the bargain."

I nodded to Ax to take them off. Once that was done, the Yeerk glanced about with a languid expression.

"So. The infamous Andalite Bandits," she mused softly. "Fine. Let's get over with this. Is it information you want? Targeting an important Visser? Top-secret Yeerk location? Or war data kept at your military bases?"

What?

Ok, this was _definitely_ not what I expected. Least a Yeerk willing to hand over intel to us.

"However, I know less than the normal Yeerk grunt. That is why I've said it was a wasted time apprehending us."

(No,) I replied. (That's not why you're here.)

(Actually, wait. Go back. We could use all that,) Marco said privately. I ignored him.

"Figured as much. You Andalites wouldn't risk jeopardizing yourselves on low-priority Yeerks unless you have a reason to."

I had to be careful. This Yeerk was more analytical than most Yeerks we've faced.

She glowered impatiently. "So? What is it? Tell me this hasn't been some game you enjoy playing during your leisure time."

(More like you've played us,) Rachel grumbled.

(You're not like other Yeerks, are you?) I asked.

"That I'm not as obtuse as my people? Of course. I value our lives more over stupidity."

Our? Weird thing to say.

(Do you know who we are?) I asked.

"Who in the Empire doesn't know you." She leaned back lazily. "Andalite bandits stranded on this planet, a last-ditch resistance group protecting the humans."

So she was still sticking to the "You are not humans" answer.

I was hesitant on pushing questions. If she was at the site, she'd still know our names. But she still took us as the Bandits like any other Yeerk.

I decided to take the risk. (You approached us at a location. Humans called it a construction site.)

(Jake,) Marco hissed privately. (You sure about this?)

"Again with this construction site nonsense," V'trix snapped. "We were not there today. And I have no quarrels or qualms to meet with Andalites."

Andalite. Not human. The same story she said to Tom.

Then...was that really not El we met then?

"Still…" She glanced at us suspiciously. "If we 'did' approach you, what was the reason?"

(You presented to us a decahedron-shaped blue box,) I answered straightforwardly.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "The box you're asking me now? Hmph. You must be mistaken for another Yeerk-"

(All of us witnessed you handing it over to us. You cannot deny that,) Ax demanded.

The Controller's expression looked legit. She really had no idea. "You've lost us. The only boxes we've been carrying are takeout."

I could have sworn I heard her tone change, mid-sentence.

(There is no point in pretending to be your host. Your facade was already broken from the start.)

She frowned but her expression was more like Rachel's "are you being serious?" kind. "Ok, genius. If we did give it to you, then you should have it, right?"

Nope. We didn't. And the hesitation in Ax's face showed that.

"Called it," she uttered. "Was a bluff all along."

(It's the truth,) Cassie interrupted. (You gave it to us.)

(And you are in no position to ask for proof, Yeerk,) Ax snapped. (One final time. Where did you find that box?)

The Yeerk calmly pushed the blade away from her throat. "How should we know? This is the first time we've heard of this device."

This was familiar.

I felt a chill down my spine.

I remembered this.

(But you're the one who brought it to us!) Marco hollered.

I remembered exactly what she was going to say next.

"Why?" she asked. "We are your-"

(Enemy,) I finished.

She glanced at me, mildly surprised but didn't take offence. "Yes. That's pretty obvious."

I swallowed. I had been holding this off for too long. But I had to be sure.

Because I was afraid I could be right.

"Hmph," she huffed arrogantly. "I didn't expect the Bandits to be as simple-minded as that _Varx_. Think clearly. Why would a Yeerk work with Andalites? I might as well hand my life over to the Council if I wanted my noose tighter."

All good points we couldn't argue. And she added one sentence that put the hatchet down for me.

"Unless you're saying another version of 'us' came from a Sario Rip," she sarcastically joked.

Yup.

The magic words.

They were something I shouldn't be hearing at all. But she said it. Right at us. I had to accept the fact.

We were dealing with a Sario Rip. Again. Only this time, someone else came from one.

(A Sario Rip?) Ax seemed to calm down, slowly accepting that possibility.

(So...the other El went through one?) Cassie pointed.

It was an answer to...maybe some of our questions but it was one we were least expecting. So of course, everyone in the room was accepting it.

Except for one.

"...You're pulling my ceratas, right? Come now. Sario Rip travel is only a theory," V'trix pointed. "You do know that."

I'm gonna assume she meant, 'pulling my leg'.

(It's not really...that farfetched,) Marco said.

"This is absurd." She frowned disappointedly. "Be reasonable. It's a theory. Time travel of any sort is. A. Theory. Nobody has ever survived a Sario Rip before."

(Oh no. We know _somebodies_ who did.)

"Please stop." She was getting mad. Why? "There is a more sensible explanation than rips."

(Ok,) Rachel muttered. (Got a better explanation why we were given a box by you?)

"Of course," she replied smugly. "Obviously, it's one of you Andalites who took El's DNA."

That rattled Rachel's cage. (What?! Of course not! Why would we do that?)

"I should be asking you that question. It's more reasonable than Sario Rips."

(Is it really that?) Marco privately asked, taking a step back to think.

(It's still possible another Andalite took her DNA. We could do it too,) Tobias said.

(No,) Cassie interrupted. (No, I don't think it's that case.)

(Why?) I asked.

(Because of what the other El said.)

(Huh?)

Cassie didn't explain. (We can prove a Sario Rip happened.)

"Oh, really? How pray tell?"

She readied herself with a deep breath. (...Your favourite constellations are Rhesam's Link and Orion's Belt.)

I didn't know what that was about but the words immediately sunk in for El.

"Wait...H-How… Where did you hear that?" The Yeerk asked. In El's tone.

(You told us,) Cassie explained.

"No. We've never met you. What trickery…" V'trix looked even more confused. Her tone switched again. "How could you have known?"

(We're not lying. You told us. As a passphrase.)

"A passphrase…?" Suddenly, she frowned angrily and spoke out in the strange tone. "You could have easily overheard us. We've talked about asterisms openly before."

(What's with this 'we' business?) Rachel demanded with annoyance.

"Hmph," she remarked. "You wouldn't understand."

(Wait. We have more-) But Marco suddenly stopped himself, clutching his fists. (Great. Wish I'd brought that pocket watch.)

"Pocket watch?" she repeated quietly with El's normal tone.

(Look. It's hard to believe it,) Marco continued. (We don't either. But all of us saw you.)

"And yet, we've never met you before till now," V'trix retaliated tiredly. "That is the truth-"

Ax snorted. (A Yeerk speaking the truth. You are merely shortening your lifespan by spinning this tale of yours.)

"I am a Werch. I gain nothing from withholding information, whether or not you've fooled yourself into thinking I have it."

(Your status doesn't exclude you from lying. You are still a criminal to your people.)

"And actually _when_ are you going to believe me?" she countered

(Until you have exhausted all of your answers to us, Yeerk,) he threatened. (Even if it means we'll keep you here for three days.)

That should have been it. A final attempt to shake a Yeerk to the core. Three days was all it takes for a Yeerk to die from starvation. Keep them locked away from any source of Kandrona rays and they'd shrivel up away.

But V'trix showed absolutely nothing but a spent sigh.

"This is pointless. You cannot keep us here any longer."

(Or what? Your Yeerk allies are going to come to your rescue?) Rachel snapped.

V'trix raised an eyebrow. "No. El's family is going to put out an amber alert if we do not return back home before 9."

...Oh, great. What we didn't want to hear.

(Hmph. And what is an amber alert?) Ax asked, the only one who didn't know.

"A public message to alert humans someone is missing. Her family is very strict on her curfew."

(Are you serious? More problems?!) Marco groaned.

Nothing could go easy on us today, could it?

(This is another attempt at bluffing,) Ax exclaimed arrogantly.

(Um, Ax. She's not,) Cassie pointed privately. (El told me this before.)

(Yeah. I heard her mom saying something about that too,) Rachel said.

(As I've said, it's a bluff. This Yeerk told you that.) Ax turned back to El with renewed conviction. (We are not easily swayed by your tricks.)

"Fine." V'trix just gave up on the spot without any resistance. That went way too easy. "Keep us here for as long as you like, you'll eventually hear the sirens."

(You really have high expectation nothing is going to happen to you,) Marco muttered.

"Because it's the logical outcome," she said frankly. "Opposing you would only endanger El further."

(Oh, would you cut the act?) Rachel demanded. (We know your kind doesn't even care one bit about humans.)

(It would be best to keep her restrained until the three days are up,) Ax proposed openly, one eyestalk glaring down at El. (Maybe then, this Yeerk will be more willing to speak.)

Suddenly, her emotionless face changed to frustration at the drop of a hat.

"Oh, stick a sock in your hooves, you pigheaded centaurs!"

That wasn't what we expected to hear. So it kinda got us by surprise.

(P-Pigheaded?) Ax hollered. (I do not have the head of an Earth domestic animal, Yeerk-)

"V'trix isn't the only one talking to you. _I_ am."

I?

(Didn't we already said to drop it? It's not gonna work,) Rachel barked.

"How about this isn't an act so stop ignoring me? Because I've had enough of you lashing at V'trix."

Again, this open frontal attitude. Just like back at the site.

(Wait a minute,) Cassie stepped in. (Is this El talking to us?)

Ax grunted. (So you're a voluntary Controller-)

El frowned irritatedly. "Don't put me with those nutjobs. I want no part in this invasion."

(What?) I uttered.

"We want nothing to do with this war. It's your problem and the stupid Empire's."

(Wh...You have a Yeerk in you!) Rachel pointed.

"And? I can't be friends with her? You aren't the boss of me."

(She's completely different from a normal Controller.) Cassie said. (Does this Yeerk really not have complete control over her?)

(It's impossible,) Ax quickly rebuked. (There is no Yeerk that will let a host have free control. She is a hostage that knows no better.)

El narrowed her eyes tightly. "So I have Stockholm syndrome? That is the most stupid melodramatic cliche reason you can pull," she hissed. "I'm not sick in the head. And V'trix can't control me even if she wanted to."

That was an oddly specific sentence. (What do you mean by that?)

El froze in her seat, as if what she said was an accident. Then she rebutted back. "I-I'm not telling the reason to a bunch of aliens!"

That was a strange reaction. But before I could push further, Rachel was hammering down the next statement. (She's manipulating you! How can you trust someone whose race is taking over this planet?)

El laughed mockingly. "And you make better allies? I wouldn't put my life on a race with a superiority complex."

(We're the ones saving you from the Yeerks!) Rachel was holding herself back from giving the whack of a bear.

But El's next words took it to a whole new level.

"Where were _you_ when I needed saving?"

(W-What?)

"If it weren't for V'trix, I wouldn't even be alive. She did a lot more good than you stupid centaurs did saving your own skins!"

Hearing that just sounded...like it should have been a joke. But none of us retorted.

I think this was also hitting hard on Rachel and Cassie. They knew her better than the rest of us but from what El was saying, there was a lot more they didn't know.

"So keep your oaths to yourself. I don't need saving from V'trix, this invasion or from you lot. Now let us go."

(I've said this before. You have overplayed your tricks, Yeerk. You can keep using this host's facade,) Ax warned. (Three days is all it will take to stop it.)

(Ax,) I called. That was going a bit too far. But I couldn't disagree that this was still the Yeerk talking to us, not El.

But El pulled out one card I didn't even think she could have from her sleeve.

"If you kill V'trix," El began. "Then you'll kill me."

We were taken aback. It was a serious threat that I couldn't even tell if this was a ruse

She then glanced aimlessly with a look of concern. V'trix spoke out, "El-"

She shook her head. El switched back. "V'trix and I aren't like normal Yeerks and Controllers. V'trix rooted right into my nervous system that if she dies, I go too."

(There is no such thing-)

"And how would you know?" El cut Ax short. "Such a rare case but hey, why bother learning about your enemy's biology?"

(You're lying,) Rachel barked.

"Then go right ahead," she threatened, catching Rachel by surprise. "You don't care about us humans anyway. Why should I make any difference?"

This aggression was different. It wasn't a Yeerk's malice throwing at us. More like a classmate giving a mind of her own.

"You've so convinced I'm trapped in my head." she hollered. "'Saving' me will do you good for your egos."

(Now wait a minute-) Marco pleaded uneasily but there was no stopping El.

"Don't even bother. The only reason you're "saving Earth" is to clean up your past screw-ups. It was your race that brought the Yeerks here in the first place!"

We couldn't deny that fact. We also knew the truth.

"So shut up about your self-proclaimed chivalry! Because you're only proving one thing with that schmuck attitude."

(And that is?) I asked, my patience tested.

"That you're no heroes."

That stopped me. It smarted me. I wanted to rebuke back. All of us did. We've been protecting this planet for the longest time!

But her glare. It spoke history. Hostility. Distrust. El saw something we didn't.

Her right fist was shaking. Ready to punch one of us.

"Don't say you're fighting for us when none of your people can't keep to your word."

All of this really hit hard, even if those words were at Andalites. Ax was especially frozen. He knew more than most that his people could be ruthless. He had only recently learned of the Andalites' methods on the Hork-Bajir world. He had seen a captain betray his entire ship for the Yeerks. His own government had charged him with the 'crime' his brother had committed rather than defame a war hero in the apparent interest of propaganda.

We knew Andalites were not the benevolent saviors of the galaxy we once wished they were, back when the only one we had known was the one that died giving us our only weapon.

I wasn't an Andalite. I was human, just like El.

But that sentence told me volumes. Because that was what I had felt. Waiting for the Andalites to come solve this invasion problem. It was their problem and not ours.

The only difference between El and us was that she stopped waiting.

"...V'trix. I wanna go home."

Her anger quickly mellowed out. "I understand."

And before we knew it, she lifted her left hand.

(Wait, what?!) Marco uttered.

Somehow, V'trix managed to slip free herself and was already working on the other hand. Once that was done, she stood up and brushed the dust off her left hand on her jacket. "Child's play. You Andalites should learn how to tie better knots." She slouched back with a posture that read untouchable. "We'll be taking our leave."

It was honestly irritating, hearing her use that demand as protection.

(W-Wait!) Rachel barked. (We're not letting you go.)

"No. You will." Talk about a brash Yeerk.

(Seriously?) Marco uttered loudly. (What possible reason would you have to believe that?)

"Simple. Because a Werch is useless to you," V'trix explained. "I have been abandoned by my own people. I've long stopped caring about them to give a _Varx's_ jaek about them. This interrogation of you has been nothing but fruitless and tiresome to all of us."

(Man, she got us there...) he groaned quietly.

"You can keep forcing answers out of me but I don't care about your matters or my people's. The only thing that I care is El's safety."

(You're just using her safety as your own shield!) Rachel hollered.

"Believe whatever you want," V'trix barked coolly. "You're going to check it out all the same. But even you Andalites need sleep and food. You can't afford to keep us here. Neither can you risk it. Besides, I'm assuming you already know where to find us. We'll see you tomorrow."

And just like that, she shoved her way past a bunch of animals for the door.

(We are not done-!)

"Yes. We are," El cut Rachel short, her anger back in full force with her normal tone. "You go and solve that stupid box riddle yourself!"

That outburst stopped a bear in her tracks. Sounds pathetic to say it but honestly, it would have been easier if we were dealing with an older Controller or an alien.

Don't take it the wrong way. We wanted to stop her. We could have and we should have. But if we did, we would be exactly what El accused us of being.

We were the good guys. And yeah, I know, everyone thinks that. But we were fighting for Earth and that made us the good guys. We had done a lot. We had each of us killed more Hork-Bajir and Taxxons than any of us wanted to know. All were Controllers and casualties were inevitable in war, but that didn't make it right.

Without nothing stopping El, she kept going for the door.

I found my voice, shaky and unsure. (We will be watching, Yeerk. Of that, you can be certain.)

She stopped, giving us that broody look. V'trix. "We wouldn't expect nothing from you." And walked right out of the shop.

Leaving us completely stunned.

(Did we...just let our captive walk right out?) Marco asked.

(El's not thinking at all. That Yeerk's got her wrapped around her finger tight,) Rachel pointed but it only sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Convince us.

It wasn't working.

All I could think was... _ugh, what a headache_.

* * *

A bit late on the schedule but here is chapter ten. Where the Animorphs finally meet El and V'trix. A second time, I suppose. It took some building up because this was also an original chapter but revamped several times. It's also my longest chapter by far but I hope that's alright with ya. Also inspired by the Chapman chapter in the Conspiracy. Which to me honestly, it didn't really felt like a conspiracy to me.

The one thing I did fear is that some of the Animorphs got themselves a bit more involved with the conversation that I was afraid if the dialogue was either out of character for them trying to act as Andalite OR that it'd be giving their secret a bit too easily. And this is gonna continue on throughout the chapters for sure. So this is a major challenge for me. :x

Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I might have some trouble with the next chapters but do hope I'll get the next up for the biweekly deadline.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.


	11. The Symbiosis

**ELEVEN: CASSIE**

It might have been a different story if someone I knew was a Controller, screaming for help inside their head. I thought it was the same for El. But she defended her Yeerk, even threatened us.

So Jake ordered Ax and Tobias to keep watch on them after they left and the rest of us just headed back home.

It was a Friday the next day, no school. Which was good. I quickly finished my chores and headed for the restaurant. And throughout the whole flight, I was thinking back what El'd said to us.

 _"Where were_ ** _you_** _when I needed saving?"_

Something happened to her that Rachel and I never knew. And the key was V'trix. El ended up relying on her to be saved.

I had to know. Even if I had to keep pretending to be an Andalite.

(Cassie!)

On the rooftops near El's place, I spotted four familiar birds and joined them. (When did you guys arrive?)

(Rachel and I just came only. Marco was here this morning,) Jake said. (Anything to report?)

(Obviously, she's been contacting her buddies about us,) Rachel muttered.

(Not really. El just went to bed after getting scolded by Mr Liang,) Tobias explained. (At least I think it was scolding. He was real quiet.)

(We've not ruled out the possibility her great-uncle could be a Controller.)

(I checked earlier. There's nothing about him that screamed Yeerk business,) Marco vouched. (You weren't kidding about their cats being pest control.)

(She's been helping her great-uncle with the restaurant the whole morning,) Tobias continued.

(Ok but what if she sneaks out to make a phone call or something?)

(That's covered,) Marco droned. (Ax's monitoring them somewhere in her bedroom as we speak.)

(You sure that's a good idea?) I asked.

(Considering what happened yesterday,) Jake grumbled. (No.)

(Sorry,) Tobias apologized. (I didn't think about it at the time.)

(So she hasn't done anything,) Rachel stated the obvious. (That doesn't mean she's not planning to.)

(And you want us to keep watch for three days?)

(The moment she has to head to the Sharing is when she drops her guard and we yank her out.)

(Rachel, are you sure about that?) I asked worriedly.

(We discovered that a human and Yeerk will die if they are separated. Please. Yeerks need to go to the pools,) she muttered. (Once El's free, she'll be able to think clearly. It's the best option for her.)

Was it? I didn't quite agree. There was a side we didn't understand here and I wanted to know.

(That's not why we're here,) Jake reminded us. (We still need answers. Even though I have no idea how she's connected…)

(I doubt she's going to talk to us after last night,) Marco pointed. (We really ticked them off-)

 _Ka-Thud!_

We nearly flew off our perch by the sound of windows shoved open by one particular person.

Correction. One particular Yeerk.

"I know you're out there, Bandits," V'trix hollered with folded arms. "My answers are still the same. But I do want to know why you are irritatingly convinced I had any partake in your claim. So I would like to talk to you. Just talk."

It was a surprisingly bold proposition coming from her.

"And, no, this is not a trap, I do not have weapons, and there are no Yeerks watching this restaurant or devices to capture you." She headed back inside. "Your call, Andalites."

We waited for a minute. Nothing.

(What now?) Marco cautioned.

(...We'll hear her out. She doesn't know Ax is inside. Tobias, keep an eye out for us.)

(Roger.)

The four of us fluttered down to the fire escape. Inside, V'trix was waiting at the desk languidly, letting out a yawn.

(Ax, if she does anything funny, don't hold back.)

(Yes, Prince Jake.)

Once we cautiously hopped onto a window seat, V'trix spoke up. "Now that we've gotta past the threshold, let's get this over with."

(That's rather cooperative of you. Why the sudden change?) Jake asked carefully.

"I've not decided to pledge alliance with you if that is what you mean. The faster we can resolve this matter, the faster you can leave us be."

(Oh? Getting tired of us?) Rachel spat.

"I do not care how long you keep up with this surveillance treatment. However-"

She suddenly gave a frustrated glare at us. " _I_ care! Enough of this spying stuff!"

(Would you stop it with this Yeerk-host duality bit?)

"This is El talking to you, you stupid centaurs!"

"She hasn't had any sleep since our return home," V'trix explained. "Hence her mood."

El rubbed the sand from her eyes with her right hand. "I couldn't shake off this feeling someone was watching me the whole night. I can't even trust my own cats because one of you might have changed into them!"

"So for the sake of my x'yta's mental state, we'll play along with your game."

(You're still keeping up with this switcharoo and you expect us to work with you?) Rachel groaned.

"I don't expect us to work," V'trix answered bluntly. "And we've told you, El isn't under my complete control."

(That isn't going to cut it. Yeerks need bodies. There is no way you'll let your host be free when you want her body for yourself.)

"So you won't cooperate us until we clear this misunderstanding?"

(What misunderstanding? We know perfectly well you're too stubborn to drop the act.)

"I see." She gave off an air that said "now I get it". "El-"

"No." That was a very quick response and El's angry frown was even quicker.

"El."

"Nope. Zero, zip, zilch, nada. You're gonna open up my head like a dissected frog or something."

(What does she take us for, mad scientists?) Marco uttered privately.

"You have to tell them," V'trix said cooly.

El's face turned sour, like she bit a lemon. She was clutching her right hand tight till it went white.

If this was really an act, then I'd give V'trix credit. For this long, she was making out to be a good actress. The others were thinking that too.

But something was telling me it wasn't.

V'trix gave a sympathetic look but the right fist was still shaking. "They are not going to let this go," she said. "If you don't tell them, I will."

There was a minute of silence. As if she was holding back to give El a chance.

"Or you could always stay awake tonight-"

"Alright!" El shouted with fraying arms. "Alright. You want me to air all of it out, then fine…"

If it was any consolation, a part of me didn't want this.

She swallowed, looking very uncomfortable and embarrassed. "I'm not like other humans... I only have half a brain."

It was an answer that sounded so straightforward, it didn't sound real.

And as quick as always, Marco had to comment on it.

(We figured that much. With you having an alliance with an enemy.)

That made El furious. "Get out."

(Wait, what did I say?)

"How about being more insulting to me at the obvious, blockhead?"

Half a brain.

It was an answer I was waiting for. But I never thought it to be that _kind_ of answer.

That finally clicked in Marco's head. (Oh…are you serious?)

"No. I joined the Yeerks because I'm a nitwit," she droned irritatedly. "Of course, I mean it!"

Boy, did he step on a landmine. With his head hunched into his neck, the osprey hopped back. Everyone else was too afraid to cross over the line this time.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything. Just leave me alone-"

(W-Wait,) I hollered, trying to calm El down. (You only have half a hemisphere?)

It seemed to work. "...The right side and a portion behind the left eye. But yeah. I was born without the rest."

Even if I heard it twice, I still couldn't believe it. To discover someone I knew from school to have a brain condition like that.

(No way. Is that even possible?) Jake said in a private thought-speech.

(It's rare but possible,) I explained. (I've read up that a brain that has gone through trauma or surgery can rewire itself to adapt.)

(I don't buy it,) Rachel said. (You could be lying.)

El rolled her eyes with a loud and long groan. She rummaged around her desk for a bit until she finally pulled out a folder and one large envelope. She tossed them at the foot of the window seat. "Those are my medical history and neurology appointment log. The envelope is my recent brain scan. That is if you Andalites can even read them."

(These could be fake. We know there are Controllers working in your hospitals.)

"Hmph," V'trix surfaced. "Like they'll do that for a Werch."

Jake suddenly jumped down to the papers. (Who is this?) he demanded, sounding a bit agitated. (This name.)

"Him? He's my doctor," El answered.

I dropped down and examined the letters. The address was familiar. The hospital's name was familiar too. And the one thing that hit home was the doctor's signature on it.

(This...this is my dad's signature,) Jake said privately.

(Wait! What?) Marco uttered softly.

"Hey, don't go after him." We turned back to a worried El. "He just does my check-ups."

I was a bit surprised to hear that. Though, I think because of our silence, she thought it wasn't convincing to us.

"Look, I can bring more proof about my condition since I was three, ok? But my doctor has nothing to do with the Yeerks."

"She is correct," V'trix added. "He is not a target of interest. Your deal is only with us."

Even the Yeerk. Strange.

(T-That won't be necessary. But why would you say he's not involved? He could easily falsify the information.) Jake struggled with the last sentence. He didn't want to hear the idea his father could be working for the Yeerks.

"Because he's not one of those crazy Controllers," El answered, looking like it was an outrageous idea. "He doesn't know anything about the invasion."

(But you have an enemy in your head.)

V'trix shook her head. "Our biological structures can imitate brain cells that those readings will look normal to the human professionals. And for the better that El's doctor remains oblivious about the existence of our war, Andalites."

Jake finally let go a tiny sigh.

(Jake-)

(I'm fine. Really,) Jake told me. (Just...finding it so close to home.)

I could understand. First Tom and now his dad.

(Huh. So MRIs don't show Yeerks. Well, that's a useful piece of information to hear,) Marco mumbled disappointedly to us.

"Now do you understand? El's disability is why I cannot control her."

(That's total bu-I mean, I can't accept that," Rachel said.

(I agree. You Yeerks don't have any use for hosts with disabilities,) Marco pointed.

(And don't say it's a selfless act.)

"Maybe it's a bit of both." That remark took us by surprise. But V'trix continued with a soft smile. "Being a bit selfless and selfish. We both have our own limitations and because of that, we've compromised to work together in one body. I control the left." She raised up El's left hand.

"And I control the right." El lifted her right.

(What exactly are those limitations?) Marco pushed.

El frowned, tapping her right foot. She really didn't want to talk about it.

"El."

"Go ahead. It's already out in the open."

V'trix nodded in acknowledgement. "El's limitations are partial paralysis, memory problems and language issues. I can override them to help her overcome them. However, with her brain map different from others, I can't see through her left eye or completely take over speech and motion."

"But I can see through both eyes and talk whenever I want to," El added.

(Memory problems? Language issues?) Rachel repeated. (Sounds contradicting with the way your host acts. That is if you really aren't controlling her.)

El snorted, averting her glare away. "Like you would get it."

(Hey,) Rachel said dejectedly. I get why. What Rachel thought from those phrases was El couldn't entirely remember, speak or move. But it wasn't that straightforward. This was the left hemisphere - El's logical side. Like math and facts.

(And you two benefit from each other?) Marco asked.

"Yes. El helps me and I help her. When we are together, we can make up the difference. Of course, that's probably laughable, even to you Andalites."

It wasn't a response we expected or for most of us, believe. But I found it both genuine and strange. I couldn't put my finger on why she said "even to us".

"That is why I am needed. And I will not leave El, even if you threaten me."

(Just give us three days,) Rachel hissed.

(Rachel,) I called privately.

"Look. We're cooperating with you, ok?" El demanded. "Just don't hurt V'trix. Don't...make me go back." The last sentence trailed off as her right latched onto her left sleeve.

I wondered what she meant by go back.

V'trix directed a disappointed frown at us. "Enough. This is not about us but your little allegation. You said you saw us. But you found it preposterous when I suggested it could have been one of you who morphed into El."

(Because it is-) Rachel huffed but was stopped by Jake hopping in front of her.

(What are you proposing then?)

"Mind you, these are merely assumptions. From our intel, my people have deduced that your group has been cut off from your people since they're currently fighting in the Satrona region of the universe."

We had absolutely no idea what she was saying.

(She is correct. The Satrona region is a location far from your solar system where the war is taking place,) Ax confirmed.

"Of course, I cannot confirm if any recent Andalite ship has been spotted on the radar since I've been removed from the frontline. But seeing how there hasn't been any alarm among the grunts in the last 24 hours, I'm gonna assume there hasn't been one at all.

So perhaps this Andalite could have been one of your comrades aboard the same ship that crashed a year ago." She gave a sly grin. "Rejoice, you have another to add to your ranks against us Yeerks."

(Sheesh,) Marco mumbled. (Never thought there'd be a day we meet a sarcastic Yeerk.)

(Think she might be right, Ax?) Jake asked.

(It's...a possibility. But could there really have been a survivor…?)

"Now that I've given you my speculation, it's time for you to look for your missing ally. Good day."

(Now hold on!) Rachel barked, stopping V'trix in her tracks. (What makes you think we'll just forget about you?)

"Because that missing Andalite should be your top priority, not a Werch."

(But this is still an assumption you're betting on. What if it turns out to be a dead end?) Marco blurted.

"And what? A Sario Rip opened up and dropped another version of us? That's ridiculous."

Her angry face then changed to puzzlement. "V'trix, what _is_ a Sario Rip?" El asked.

V'trix calmly answered. "It is a hypothetical rift in space-time, caused by a massive, precise explosion. And again." She glared at us. "A _hypothesis_. It is similar to a black hole. However, the negative energy from the explosion sustained by a secondary zero matter stabilizes z-space to form a rip."

El hunched her lips to the side, not getting any of that.

"Basically, a big explosion at correct timing shortcuts through z-space to create time travel."

"Oh. Ok. I think."

(I didn't get any of that until the last part.)

"Why are _you_ confused?" V'trix chided at Marco. "You Andalites should know all of this and that it's impossible. If a rip existed, it could easily destroy a third of this planet."

(Holy...how _did_ we survive the previous rips?!)

Yeah. No kidding.

"So please think rationally. Nothing good comes out with these obscene theories."

(But we've experienced them before,) I said. (So it's still possible-)

"It's not," she snapped, unusually irritated. "It's nothing more than fictitious delusions in fringe science. I will not make the same mistake again in chasing after them. And neither should you."

Mistake?

 _Knock, knock!_

"Ah! Coming!" El hollered with a melodic tone before glaring daggers at us, finger to her lips. "Don't you _dare_ say anything!"

(And we're watching everything you do,) Jake countered. (Think careful of what you say.)

El gave a muffled growl and quickly slipped halfway out the door. "What is it, Kong Kong?"

"Were you talking to someone?"

"Some annoying chatter birds outside my window. I threatened to let Gingko and Kandi loose on them."

(Hey!) Rachel uttered.

"Your mother called. Need to babysit Luke for a while."

"Sure," she didn't hesitate but she did sound jumpy. "Let her know I'm on my way."

Once he left, El shut her door and rested her forehead on it. At first, I thought V'trix wasn't too keen to babysit a human kid.

Then she swung up her right arm and jabbed a finger at us, head still glued back. "You are **not** going to my house."

(Isn't this her house?)

(Her great-uncle's. She lives near the city exit in the suburbs,) Rachel explained to Marco privately. (Not too far from my place.)

"The last thing I need is you centaurs at my place of comfort," El grumbled, grabbing for her knit cap.

(We're not done,) Jake stated. (There's still a lot to talk about-)

"Well, I'm not gonna be like Mrs McPherson and have my family look at me weird that I'm talking to birds."

(Mrs McPherson?) Marco repeated.

"An elderly human who spends her noons with pigeons," V'trix explained as she helped El wear on her parka. "I've never been able to understand that, El. She could easily talk to anyone walking by if she wanted a companion-"

"The point is that you can keep talking to us through your telepathy jumbo but we'll not gonna be talkative to you."

(That is not telepathy,) Ax chipped in but it was ignored.

(But you talk to that Yeerk,) Rachel muttered.

"Yes," El hissed through her teeth. "But at least we can communicate inside my head. Now shoo. Go look for your other Andalite."

(We can't let you go easily. You're still a Controller and with an enemy,) Jake enforced.

"Or what? You're gonna keep tailing us?"

(Of course. You know too much about us,) Rachel grunted.

"Hmph, so we're a liability," V'trix said. "Telling my people the Bandits are harassing me is nothing but a death sentence to the both of us."

(Why not? I'm sure that will get you out of your little dilemma.)

"Do you really not understand the title, Werch? You know our language. It's impossible for one to reclaim back their social standing. Moreover," she barked. "I would rather die than to go back to the way things were."

Again, the words, "go back". Just like El.

(That's rich, coming from you. But we know your kind. It's too convenient that you so happen to have a human you can't control-)

"Just stop it," El suddenly spoke out.

Rachel arched back her head, startled by that sudden demand.

If I know Rachel, it's that she was desperately trying to get El to give us any sign she never wanted to be a Controller.

"I've said this and I'll say it again. I'm not crazy, V'trix isn't a bad guy and I don't need saving. The only thing you're doing is shortening our lifespans the longer you're with us," she insisted. "You're the Bandits, fighting for us humans. So why not focus on other Controllers who really need saving."

(But-) I wanted to say something.

 _FLASH!_

"-you're not going anywhere, Werch!"

The man in suit pointed the Dracon Beam straight at El's forehead, terrifying her to tears. One shot would kill both her and V'trix.

(Run!) It was pointless for me to yell.

But I had to try.

"Mreowww!"

I fired myself up the police car and leapt, claws extended. Kandi was angry. Someone was hurting her family-

 _FLASH!_

"But what?"

I flinched when El asked me that.

I was almost ready to bolt it. But I was in El's bedroom. I wasn't charging up to sink my fangs into someone's arm.

W-What did I see?

V'trix sighed tiredly. "It is pointless to argue, El. Andalites are as equally stubborn as moles."

If I was human right there, I'd be staring at her like she had an extra head. That saying didn't sound right to me. But the strangeness was enough to calm me down.

"It's 'stubborn as mules', not moles," El corrected.

V'trix hunched her eyebrows. "But they are also stubborn, right? They don't come out of the dirt."

El wanted to say something but just stopped herself.

"Regardless, you won't believe us one way or another. So why don't you mind your own business and we'll mind ours. And we will agree to avoid each other." V'trix grabbed El's backpack. "Pretend I'm not even here."

It started off as a threat but the last part sounded a bit sad to me. Tired, too.

"C'mon, V'trix," El scowled. "You don't need to say anything to these creeps anymore."

(Hey, we're not the bad Andalites here,) Marco pushed.

"'The bad Andalites'. See, even you know you're all full of it. Your whole government's a police state and it took the lot of you being stranded here to see how terrible your race really is. V'trix's already said her piece. So unless you morph into people like your other friend did with me, there's no need for us to continue talking to you." She headed for the door but not without a final say. "Don't let the window hit ya on the way out."

 _Bam!_

And slammed the door behind her.

(Well, that was entertaining,) Marco droned. (Think we've given her a good impression about us?)

(You don't actually believe her, do you?) Rachel grumbled.

(Cassie, what are you doing?) Jake asked. It was risky for me to demorph there but I was already at work with the envelope. I quickly closed the curtains and held up the MRI scan close to some Christmas lights hung on a wall.

(They have to be fake, right, Cassie? She got someone to switch the envelope.)

(Doubtful. They'd have to fake my dad's signature too.)

(Then they could have switched the contents. Easy.)

(But could they easily fake an MRI scan of a person with half a brain?) Marco pointed. (If this is a rare thing, finding someone to be a test subject has to be difficult.)

(There could be other ways.)

"Not likely," I explained. "Do you see the black blotch on the left?"

(You're the expert, Cassie. What are we reading?) Marco asked.

"It's like this. Black means nothing. White means something. The MRI scan paints up the exact details of the whole brain with those colors." I pointed at one spot. "And this blotch behind the eye isn't what a brain should normally look like."

(So she's really-)

"Yes." I stared back at the hollow space in the scan.

I know enough in medicine and biology that a hole inside the membrane couldn't be easily faked. Even if it was possible, that seemed like a lot of work to do for a criminal.

I was right. Why V'trix couldn't see much without El's help. Why there was a need to exchange conversation. And I would be lying if I didn't find this really amazing.

A Yeerk can't completely control a brain that's partially dead without having to work with her.

* * *

And here is the chapter where you learn one main thing that connects El and V'trix, El's disability. It was what inspired these two characters way at the beginning.

Before I was developing this fanfic, I was reading about a girl with half a brain and still have good vision through one eye. I then thought of the question: "would a Yeerk cooperate with their host to share one body together". Of course, not to say any common Yeerk would want a host like that unless for reason, which is something that will be explored further in this story.

This question has shaped the character developments in both El and V'trix. Moreover, I had lots of fun working on these two characters and look forward to new things to be thrown onto them in this megamorph. :3c It's also gonna be an interesting thing to write the reactions of the Animorphs on these two and that the more they learn about them, the more it's gonna put them on a grey area - can they keep seeing them in the same light as their enemies? That is something that will be tested in the chapters onwards.

Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I might have some trouble with the next chapters but do hope I'll get the next up for the biweekly deadline.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.


	12. The Incentive

**TWELVE: MARCO**

We were a bit lost. Actually, it was more like we got answers we didn't ask for. I mean, hearing that a girl your age was born with literally half a brain...how was anyone supposed to react?

But she reminded me of Dad.

El's case was a bit similar from his. The conditions they had, they were invisible but if you paid enough attention, you'd notice the problems. Since we lost Mom, Dad had always tried to hide it from me but it was obvious the first few months. He didn't go to work, couldn't get out of bed, and barely talked to me.

So I sorta understood. What it's like for someone's brain to not work right.

In the end, the only best option was to split up. Jake and Ax headed back to Erek for any info he could find. On the box. The monster. Whatever weird stuff from yesterday. And the four of us continued observing on the duo.

Well, the job was supposed to go to Tobias and Cassie but Rachel and I tagged along. Though, her reason wasn't the same as mine.

I was curious. You don't just ignore the fact a Yeerk was pals with a disabled host and not think there was some ulterior motive. So this was like studying a rare specimen in their natural habitat.

Of course, I kept reminding myself curiosity killed the cat.

"I can't tell if this is one of your craziest ideas or the stupidest ones, Marco."

Which probably was gonna 'metaphorically' happen to us once the three of us step into El's house. Tobias stayed back as back-up.

"Hey, she's the one who invited us. All we just need to do is act a bit like human Ax."

"And you don't think El's family are Controllers too?" Rachel muttered.

"Probably. But wouldn't this Yeerk already turn to them?"

"That's because she's chicken with us around. What if this backfires? We're putting our real selves out in the open."

"One of us just needs to test the waters. So I volunteered. What's your excuse to tag alone?"

"El's family knows Cassie's and mine. A guy El has met once is gonna raise flags."

"I'll just say I'm your boyfriend. We're acting as Andalites in human morph here."

"Brilliant idea. Except no," she muttered. Harsh. "Let's get over with this." She rang the doorbell. Two minutes later, the door opened.

"Cassie? Rachel?" El was surprised to see them. "What are you-" Then she spotted me. "Why are you here?"

"Whazzup?"

She glowered. "Is he your friend?"

Rachel didn't answer. She couldn't look at her the same way as before.

"So why this sudden visit? If this is about your takeout, you should take it up at the restaurant, not my own house."

"It's not about that. We needed to talk to you," Cassie said.

El looked a bit concerned. "This sounds serious."

"It's nothing to worry about. We just have more questions to ask you," I said.

"More?"

"Yup. It's about you two. After all, you did say unless we were humans like you, you were done talking to us."

Her eyes filleted wide open. Couldn't tell it was either El, the Yeerk or both.

"Nooo," El groaned. "There's no way-"

"Indeed," V'trix cut idly. Not accusing, just conversationally. "How did you manage to pull that off?"

Luckily, I'm a quick thinker. "Human youths seem to enjoy sleeping in the wilderness for recreation."

"Camping," El said. "It's called camping. And that's a bit...crass, dontcha think?"

I shrugged. "They appeared to be approximately the same age as your host. We thought this 'human' social gathering wouldn't raise attention. At your home. But if you prefer tail blades-"

"Don't you even dare!" she snapped.

"Then we talk. Conversation is an important activity you humans do in social gatherings. To get to know one another."

"You may 'look' like my schoolmates but there's no way I'm being nice to the likes of you."

"You're taking a huge risk visiting an enemy's home," V'trix asked, not at all threatened or threatening. "Aren't you afraid of me contacting my people?"

"That would be true," I started. "If it wasn't the fact you are a Werch. Would your people stay in the same house as a criminal? I certainly wouldn't."

"...Tch," El clicked, squeezing her left arm nervously.

V'trix sighed. "...Fine. But do not involve El's family."

"We are just here to talk. That's all," I said. It felt good turning this around on them.

"No. I don't want these stupid centaurs in my hou-"

"Who is it, Yùtù?"

"Ah, M-Mom," El frantically uttered when a Chinese woman walked up to us.

"Rachel, what a surprise," El's mom greeted. "What brings you here?"

Rachel relaxed a bit. "Nothing, really. Just visiting El with my friends."

El glanced at us with wide eyes. It was hilarious to see that - us 'Andalites' able to act like normal kids in front of her mom and saying hellos.

It was then her mom noticed me.

"Oh, isn't this the boy you mentioned?"

"Um, well…" Even El was struggling.

"Oh, come on," I droned. "Was I really that bad? I thanked you for the takeout."

"Takeout? At 7 in the morning," El's mom uttered.

Oh! She meant the restaurant!

"R-Right! Yeah, I was in the neighborhood. Wanted to grab something for the go." I gave a fake laugh. As much as I didn't like it, I've got no choice but to play the part as my doppelganger El saw.

"That was you?" El uttered, confused. Well, guess I hammered down the idea an Andalite as me came to her restaurant that morning. Don't know if that was good or bad.

"Hm, and you came there in a leotard?" El's mom pointed.

"Oh, El's mistaken. That was a wetsuit," I uttered. Thumbs up for one of the photos I saw. "I was heading for the beach."

I could clearly tell El wanted to rebuke out loud but it was futile.

"So what brings you all here?" El's mom changed the topic along.

"We wanted to discuss with El about Beach day," Cassie jumped in. Good plan.

"Beach day?"

"Yup. There'll be tons of people there for the fireworks. Oh, and some of our friends are coming along," I tossed that in.

"Sounds like fun. Make yourself comfortable then," El's mom laughed mellowly.

"Huh?" El panicked. "B-But you put me on babysitting duty. That'd be boring for them. So we can talk about 'Beach day' another time-"

"I can help," Rachel chimed in, forcing El to look shocked. "I had to babysit my sisters all the time. Which makes me an expert in dealing with angels."

Liar. You've always complained about your sisters being demons. But I refrained myself from saying that.

"Luke doesn't need two babysitters-"

"Yùtù, you never have friends come over here. I'll be back quickly so you all can go off together."

"B-But I gotta help Kong Kong later."

"He'll be fine. You need to be more social with friends here, dear. Not someone miles away."

She looked at her mom dejectedly. "V'trix's my close friend-"

"Who isn't here. Stop behaving like this," she said disappointedly. "I'll see you all later."

"Wait...Mom…" It fell on deaf ears. She was gone for her car.

I felt myself grin. That was easier than I expected.

Then I spotted El's glare.

"El, stop." Her left hand immediately latched onto her right.

"Let me punch them. I remembered that other guy saying something about me punching him."

Oh, come on!

"Luke is still inside. As much as I'd want them to leave, we cannot endanger him by learning about Andalites and Yeerks. For now, we'll entertain them until they get bored of us."

"Or you leave your host," Rachel spat.

El narrowed her eyes tightly. "Over my dead body."

V'trix took over, but the expression was kinda the same as El's. "You are very committed to your whole extermination of all Yeerks."

"And you're committed to wasting our time."

"Then leave. I am not abandoning El."

"Ugh. Enough," El cut in. "Just...don't do anything. Don't even touch anything or I'll throw you out myself."

I simply smiled. "That would be entertaining to see you try and lift a demorphing Andalite out. It's three of us versus one, inside this place. So think carefully."

"Grrrrmh!" She stormed back inside. "Luke, where are you?"

We stepped into enemy territory. Though, it was a normal house, not a Yeerk location. And it felt a bit unnatural. Maybe because it belonged to a Controller. Or we've never been able to go back to what was 'normal'.

El had photos everywhere, maybe about the entire family tree. Different places, different races, all happy smiles. That was her 'normal'.

I turned to the girls.

"Ok, it worked," Rachel said. "Now wipe that smirk off your face."

"You should be grateful, Zena," I uttered proudly. "We would be getting nowhere with these two."

"It was still a stupid, risky idea and you know it. And what's this about you at the restaurant?"

"I don't know. El thought she saw me yesterday morning."

"Did you?"

"Of course not. First visit there was the afternoon. But now that I think of it…" We did have a lone Andalite was picking up DNAs and running around as a human…

Was my doppelgänger also an Andalite? Maybe the same one as El's?

"No way," I said to myself. "I'd notice if an Andalite took my DNA-"

"I think we should protect El." Cassie had been quiet the entire time so it was a bit of a surprise to hear her say that.

"That's been the plan this whole time," Rachel assured her. "We force that Yeerk out while we still have the chance."

"You're planning to hold her down in her own house, aren't you? That's our Warrior Princess," I droned.

She didn't deny it. "If being harsh means saving El then so be it."

"Let's start with the questions first. If she does backstab us, then don't hold back."

"It's not V'trix that I'm worried about." Cassie fidgeted with her fingers. "I'm...afraid something bad will happen to the both of them."

"Both? Cass-," she stopped, almost making a rookie mistake. "You can't be sympathetic this time."

"I got to agree," I added. "Just because she thinks we're Andalites, doesn't mean we can let our guard down."

"But-"

"The only thing we should be thinking about is ourselves and this new box. Not El and this V'trix," I cut Cassie off. "And the only danger they need to worry is us-"

Then I felt it.

Something poked into my back. A nuzzle. Like a gun.

Immediately, I knew what was behind me.

"Wait, Marco!" Cassie lashed onto my hairy arm. Thankfully she did, stopping me from going full gorilla.

Behind me was a boy, about the same age as Rachel's youngest sister. He wore a red blanket over him like a cape and a Blue Ranger mask. He held up one of those toy space guns that if you squeezed the trigger, it'd make "pew pew" sounds and flashes. A Blaster Pistol too.

Not a Dracon Beam.

I froze. At that point, my face was probably like a troll. But kids were kids. No one would believe him if he saw me with sharp teeth, oversized jaw and a hunched forehead.

"Who are you?" the kid demanded instead. Maybe he didn't even see my horrid face. "Who dares trespass the SSR Thunderbolt!"

Rachel jumped in front of me, giving me a chance to demorph quickly. "Hello, there. Luke, right? We're, um, friends from your sister's school."

Boy, did she struggle with the word, 'friends'.

"El's friends?"

"Yeah. We're just visiting her. To talk."

"Talk? Then you're in the Galactic Organization!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Luke!" El rushed in protectively between him and Rachel, not without giving a glare at us. "You ok?"

"Luka's name is not Luke!" He stomped his foot. "And you dared bring more fiends here, Doctor Stein!"

"Fiends?" Cassie repeated.

"Explain yourself! Have they come to steal Luka's hyperdrive?!"

"Luke, this isn't the time to be playing," El said worriedly.

"It's not that Earth name, Luke!" He pumped up his toy gun dramatically. "Luka is Luka the Star-Kid, Defender of the Galaxy! With a star at the end!"

Oh. I get it now. He was pretending to be a superhero. It reminded me of trying to climb on walls and shot out spider webs when I was eight. Ugh.

And, why the third person perspective?

"Enemies are not allowed on board the SSR Thunderbolt! You of all people should know that!"

"This kid had waaaay too much sugar in his diet," I whispered.

Cassie snickered. "It's kinda adorable."

"Luke…" Then out of the blues, El glanced back with a wicked smirk.

I did not like that look.

She turned back to Luke, a finger to her lips and a wink. "If I told you, they'll have to kill us."

"Wait a minute," Rachel blurted out. No way, was she gonna tell her brother about us?

Luke, or 'Luka', beamed up with a mixture of shock and awe. "Who are they, Doctor Stein?"

"I didn't want to get wrapped up in this mess but fine. Guess I have no choice." There was an odd exaggeration in El's voice and mannerisms, different from V'trix. As if she was reenacting a character from those Japanese cartoons. "They may look like humans but that is a facade! They're actually the Lumi Invaders, come to switch places with the humans and take over this planet."

"Wait. What?!" Rachel shouted.

I had no idea what El was planning. More importantly, did she make us the Yeerk enemies instead?!

"Lumi Invaders?" Luke directed his blaster at us. "You're not getting away with that!"

Are you literally buying this, kid?!

"El, what's going on?" Cassie asked warily.

"Cease your foolish rambling, aliens!" El rose up onto her feet with a triumphant and arrogant stance. "I am Doctor Isabella Stein, the great, mad scientist hunted by organizations across the universe. That is my true name!"

"What are you talking about?" Rachel was actually a bit scared of this weirdness.

"But what do they have to do with you, Doctor Stein?" Luka asked, so engrossed in his role as a space hero.

"They caught me while I was spying on Teach Kong Kong. Seems my intelligence posed a threat to them. And that holds true, for I managed to get away from them. Muahahaha!"

Even with the cheesy maniacal laugh. Did she lose a screw or something?

"That is why I've come to you, Luka the Star-Kid! I want a temporary alliance between us to stop these annoying aliens. There can only be one arch enemy for you. And that is me. I am the only one who will plunge this universe into chaos!"

"Ok. But only until we stop them. And then I'll capture you as well, Stein!"

"Ha! I wouldn't have it any other way. Venita carpe tu xte," she shouted like a true supervillain saying her catchphrase.

Both turned to us, hungry for a fight.

"B-Back off! You think this stunt will work, Ye-"

"Oh?" El cut Rachel short. "Shaking in your boots? It seems our combined effort has already frightened them to the core. In no time, we'll stop this invasion before it even starts!"

"And we can save the people they've switched too, right?" Luke asked excitedly.

"Only one way to find out." El picked up a sponge sword lying around and held it out like a fencer. "We must hit their weakpoint and make them yielded! Tag them on their back, Star-Kid!"

"Alright!"

You know, morphing could solve this completely. Scare them off. But there were two problems. One, we didn't want to traumatize a small kid.

And two, this attitude El was giving. It was weird, loud, pathetic and terrifying. To all of us.

"W-Wait a minute," I pleaded.

"Start running, centaurs."

And thus began the next fifteen minutes of us being chased around by a kid with a wild imagination and his crazy sister.

Rachel was the first to go. Yes, she could use her aggressive demeanor but every now and then, El retaliated wildly with her villain persona as a countermeasure. Cassie was next but she went down without a fight. I think she actually found this fun.

And I was last.

"Ouch!" Even though it was only sponge, El whacked my head way more times than she should. "Stop it!"

"Well done, Star-Kid!" El praised. "We've stopped these invaders and freed the real people from their shackles!"

"That's good! We've saved humanity. But there's still one more we need to stop too."

"And what is that?"

"You! Ah-HA!" Luke spun around, a quick slap to her back. "I caught you too, Doctor Stein!"

"Omph! You've defeated the great Doctor Isabella Stein! How can this be?" She dramatically posed a 'woe is me' stance, throwing out a few coughs and garghs for emphasis.

"Now can I have a popsicle? Please?" He held his empty hand like a begging puppy.

"One half and half an apple," El swiftly compromised.

He pouted but eventually nodded. "Ok." And hurried off to the kitchen with a cheer.

"Hm-hm." It was a soft laugh coming from V'trix. "That was one of your best plays ever."

"Heh. I got to whack a few Andalites heads out of it."

"That was rash. However the outcome, he came out satisfied."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Rachel hissed.

"Let me think about that… Yes, we are." They followed after Luke and once we caught our breaths, we joined them.

I was ready to give her a piece of my mind!

"Pineapple as always?"

"Yup, yup!" Luke cheered, his mask off.

El pulled out what looked like a long ice pop with a very thin diameter in the middle. Easily, she snapped it in half and passed one down to Luke. Don't think I've seen it in supermarkets myself.

"Any flavors are fine with you three?" She took out three random halves and handed them to us.

"We're not accepting these as an apology," I said.

"Ha," El snorted. "I never planned on that. Call this a temp truce since you've put me in an ok mood."

Why was this girl being so difficult?!

"You wanted to talk to her. Now I'm letting you." She took a seat and began cutting an apple. "Talk."

"Who, El?" Luke was still in the same room but she wasn't anxious.

"V'trix. I'm sending their questions to her in my next letter. Can you give us a moment?"

"Oh, ok." Once she gave him his slices, Luke naively left us be.

To talk to the Yeerk.

"So what do you want? My answers are still the same if this is about our alibi."

To be honest, I didn't think that far ahead or expect she'd cooperate with us this easy. I got nothing.

"You're...awfully relaxed with three Andalites here. Aren't you afraid of us?" Cassie blurted that question out. Good, good.

"Hmph. Three or six or a thousand, it matters not." Again, no hostility, no smart remark. Like V'trix knew she wouldn't win a fight. "This treatment is no different than how my people treat me."

No different? Just how low was her esteem towards her kind?

"Exactly what did you expect from us?" She got straight to the point. "You're making a lot of effort on one Werch."

"We cannot give you our reasons," I said.

"...It has something to do with this box?" We probably gave some hint there that she took it as correct. "And it's no longer in your possession. That's why you're persuading us."

"Again. We didn't deliver any box to you, centaurs," El grumbled. "And we don't have it."

"But I can guess who does. My people took it." We were quiet but again, she was right on the money. "And you were hoping through me, you'd be able to retrieve it."

"You have it all figured out," I boasted.

"But a Werch?"

I frowned. "I don't know why one of our people acquired your host's DNA but at this point, you're our only lead in getting the box back."

"In order words, you put too high an expectation on a criminal." Her bored scowl was powerful enough to drill holes into us.

"Whoopie-doo. I should thank that Andalite for putting us into this mess," El groaned crossly.

"And your next course of action?"

"We're not going to tell you," Rachel rebutted abruptly.

"You don't have one, do you?" V'trix sighed when we didn't reply. "And you won't leave us be until you get it back…" She slumped back, thinking on this dilemma as she ate her ice pop. "Alright. How about a compromise? We locate it for you and you stop coming after us."

"Ha. Do you think we were born yesterday?"

"No. I wouldn't accept something like that if I was in your position. Which is why I'm adding one more to the table."

Oh, this was gonna to be interesting. Let's see how she can top this off, I thought.

"My life."

...Ok, that took the cake!

Even El was surprised. "V'trix-!"

She held up her left palm. "I did not mean that you can kill me. I meant you can use me. My position doesn't mean I can't get away with anything under the noses of my people. The more of a fool your people take you for, the more you'll learn their true nature. Even use it to your own advantage."

That...was surprisingly a clever and scary plan. Wait, didn't that mean us as well?

We glanced at each other. This was a daring proposition.

"So you can locate where your people are keeping this box?" I asked.

"Within my capabilities. It depends on how tight they're keeping it under lock and key."

Rachel eyed her vigilantly. "This is a joke, right? Aren't you betraying your people?"

"I don't have the motivation to 'care' for them."

"Then this is revenge? For your title."

She eyed at Rachel quizzically and languorously. "If I wanted that, I would have done so the moment I was demoted."

"V'trix, this doesn't solve the problem of these centaurs leaving us alone." El wasn't hiding the fact she really hated Andalites. "And I should remind you that I still have to prepare tomorrow's dish."

"I haven't forgotten. That is why I want to finish this as quickly as possible so we can move on with our lives."

"And you'll hand it over to us just like that? Why should we trust you?" I asked.

"You don't have to. But when it comes right down to, you know I am capable of finding it before you can. And we want rid of you. We get it, you leave us alone."

She was right. We had no clue where to even start looking. There were so many Controllers we knew by name and it's not like we'd ever had to go shake down leads before. We were making this up as we went and by the time we had any directions, V'trix would already know where it was.

"Fine." Annoyed, V'trix pulled out something from her jacket and placed it on the table. "Take it."

It was a handheld compact. Smooth-looking with a shiny silver gloss. A teal dimly-glowing circle was engraved on the top.

But it was something alien. I didn't know what and Ax wasn't here.

"V'trix-!" El uttered with a worried face. So she knew what it was.

Ok. Remember what Ax told ya, Marco. 101 Andalite History. I could do this.

"Interesting design. What culture did you steal this from?"

"Yes, like a Yeerk could ever understand a technology or improve upon it. Typical arrogance." V'trix shook her head, more annoyed than offended. "After all this time, you Andalites still don't understand why we rebelled in the first place, do you?"

"Your people broke our peace treaty."

"Your description of peace between our people was nothing but a delusion and a mask to hide your xenophobia. Read past your history books."

Okkkkay. Not too sure how to proceed without giving it away I wasn't an Andalite.

V'trix didn't continue either. "I'm not here to bring up the past. You want a leverage over me. Here you go. Take it and you savage my ties to Kandrona rays."

Did I hear that right? This compact thing was a carriable version of a Yeerk pool? As far as we've seen, the size of a pool could be as large as a swimming pool or as small as a canister. First time seeing something easy to slip in a bag or pocket.

"Oh c'mon. You could easily go to a pool," Rachel snarked.

"Are you sure?"

That was an unexpected question, said with unenergetic submission. But if you think about it, it was pretty obvious.

"It's not that easy, is it?" I asked.

V'trix nodded calmly after a pause. "Some keep me alive because I am still a valuable asset. Most want me dead because I am a traitor. So it's very simple to stop me at the door." She sluggishly flopped back in her seat and waited for our move, arms crossed. "So take it. My life in your hands is just the same as mine in the hands of my people."

No resistance. No fight. I've seen hundreds of Yeerks pick up a Dracon Beam and shoot at the first sign of us in our battle morphs. Not V'trix.

I reached for the compact.

Then all of a sudden, her right hand latched out-

"El." Immediately, V'trix grabbed it. "It's ok."

Right in front of us, we were seeing the two fight but with V'trix winning. She had a peaceful demeanor, even if the right hand was desperately trying to reach for the compact.

I never thought I'd see the day a Controller like El would be afraid of losing her Yeerk.

It...looked really pitiful. And yet, V'trix was the strangest one. She wasn't scared or sad. Just...content without a smile.

"I enjoyed my time with you, El," she said and glanced up at us. Meaningfully? Without emotion? I wasn't sure. "It was bound to end soon."

Eventually, the right hand stopped. El surfaced back, looking miserably at the table. Man, that pulled the heartstrings there. Like we were bullying someone to leave a friend.

Friend? Was I really acknowledging that two different species could be friends?

"Alright," Rachel said without remorse. "We'll take it then."

I didn't stop her from taking it. In fact, this was a good bargain chip for us. Too easy, yes. But we were out of choices.

Just like that, we had a deal.

So why was I feeling bad?

"This doesn't change anything between us. We'll break this at the first sign you do something funny."

"I won't forgive you."

"We don't need your forgiveness, Yeerk-"

"I'll never forgive you, centaurs."

Rachel stopped, realizing her mistake. El was the one snapping at her with resentment. Not V'trix.

The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. And it easily broke down by the sound of the door opening.

"El. Come on. Your mother is here."

El was visibly frustrated that there was nothing she could do. But to get up and leave the kitchen.

"Really." Rachel was irritated. "She's gotta see that Yeerk isn't her friend. That slug's going to be trouble for us."

Cassie clearly didn't agree with her. I didn't either, after what we witnessed.

V'trix was smart but she knew what her limits were. Not like Visser Three who threw everything at us until he fled when backed into a corner.

I shook off this twist in my gut. I had to remind myself. We need to find that box. Just get the information and we could just walk our separate ways from these two.

In fact, this could be our simplest and safest mission, without any bloodshed.

What could go wrong?

* * *

I apologize for such a long delay because of the holidays, family, friends and so on. And a bit of writer's block.

However, to be honest. I had lots of fun with this chapter, not just to show a bit of El's lifestyle but also that fact she uses her brother's imagination to get back at the Animorphs. XD But good things must end as you can see.

Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I might have some trouble with the next chapters but do hope I'll get the next up for the biweekly deadline.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018! Here's to a good year for everyone.

PS. Im a bit sad this went beyond my word count. Again. X'D Welp. You can't win every battle. Will probably edit this again later.


	13. The Impromptu

**THIRTEEN: TOBIAS**

* * *

(You haven't told us how you'll find this box, Yeerk.)

V'trix deliberately let the seconds tick by instead of responding to Marco. "Isn't it a bit precarious for you to be talking to us in the open?"

We had left El's house as birds while the two riding back to the Quarter on El's bike. At one point, she stopped at a traffic light. And the waiting prompted Marco to speak that out.

(Well, for a Yeerk abandoned by her own people, you seem confident you could pull it off,) he pointed.

"Again, it depends on how far I can. I couldn't ask anyone without some consequences. I can only narrow the list of possible locations down."

(So you _might_ know where it could be? How about telling us those names instead?) Rachel interrupted.

"And send you on a wild duck chase only to come back to us demanding again? Please. It's a waste of time for both of us."

"It's a 'goose chase', V'trix."

We weren't entirely alone. A car had stopped at the lights too and the driver peeked out to see El. Talking to herself.

"What are you looking at?!"

I've never seen a car window roll up so fast.

"You're failing at keeping a low, sane profile, El," V'trix said with a hint of worry.

"I stopped caring after we left home."

The lights turned green and we continued on.

(So? Exactly how are you going to narrow it down?) Marco pushed, solely out of curiosity. (Have an one-button device to solve everything?)

"...Liang's computer will suffice."

(Come again?)

"Most of the humans' network and communication channels are already keyed into ours that they can cyber-survey any activity they don't like, human or Yeerk. If I was to look around without permission, they'd catch me. I don't have my credentials anymore."

(Ok.)

"Yeerks have complete access on any human's consoles," she explained. "Except those dating a decade ago."

(Wait. How does an old model make any difference than any computers?)

"Answer me this. What is the best way to do information cracking without getting detected?"

(Having a standalone, right?) The others looked at me. What? I knew a bit about computers. I explained privately, (A computer not connected to another or a network.)

(I don't know how to respond to that, Tobias.)

V'trix nodded at my answer. "The problem with your people and mine is that everyone is too dependant on their technologies to realize that reliance makes you vulnerable."

I thought about that scene from Terminator 2. Where a teenaged John Connor hacked an ATM. Something thousands of people use every day and one kid that knew what he was doing…

(So you can hack.)

"Oh, how wondrous that would be if I could," V'trix droned boringly. "I can still use the same access route I had before I was a Werch. They didn't think of closing it after my demotion, apparently."

(Then you'll get the location?)

"Not immediate. The database we use is only common gossip, chit chat, and orders. If there is an Andalite technology in our possession, then I'm going to have to filter through them-"

Then El stopped.

By the time we reached the street where her restaurant was, it was around five in the afternoon. So it should have been pretty empty until the night hours.

But it wasn't. Parked right there were two cars, one of them a police car.

Yeerks.

(This better not be a trap, Yeerk,) Rachel warned.

But there was something odd. El was visibly afraid. Her right hand was shaking on the handle while the left was tightening on the other.

"V'trix…"

V'trix surfaced with a dark glare. "I don't like this."

(You didn't expect them to be here?) Marco asked, drawing to that conclusion.

She didn't deny or admit it. More like, she was uncertain. "Stay put until they leave."

(Hey, you don't give us the orders-!) It was already too late. El left her bike aside and headed to the restaurant.

Rachel was ready to bolt but Marco quickly stopped her. (Are you nuts? You're putting us at risk by letting the Yeerks know we're here!)

(Oh, it was fine when we were humans but now it's not?) she snapped.

(That's because we were dealing with one. Not five!)

(Then what would you want us to do? Let her talk?!)

Well, it was going to happen anyway.

"Ah, hello. Are you the owner's grand niece?" one of them, a man in a suit, asked with a sincere look.

But El didn't reply straight away. She was reluctant. "...What do you want?"

The man approached. "Don't be scared. We need to ask you some questions regarding an incident yesterday. Is that ok?"

"U-Um," she said with a shaking voice. The tone slightly changed as she continued. "I need to return to work."

"We won't take too much of your time."

V'trix studied the men. The two cops at the back had their hands resting on their holstered guns. They didn't want her to leave at all.

"Isn't this a large group for just questions? This neighborhood doesn't have any trouble," she said.

"Stop acting, you grub," the second man in suit barked impatiently. "I don't have time to be dealing with you."

The first turned back. "Pst, that is a bad idea-"

"There's no humans here to worry about semantics, Cretri," barked the second man in a suit, eying El with a dark glare. "Let's get to the point, Orekor 8517."

V'trix flinched.

That name again. We've heard it before but not with the numbers. But it was said with a similar weight we'd say whenever we spoke Visser Three's name.

The other detective shook his head but quickly shrugged this little setback off. "Well, might as well get down to business, I suppose."

She took a small breath. "...Isn't it risky? Exposing yourselves in broad daylight?"

"That's none of your concern, Werch," the tough guy uttered. "We've heard of your reputation."

"I feel flattered." Just like that, V'trix swung back to her languid, sarcastic self. "Want my autograph?"

Then I heard a snicker.

(Marco, did you just-) I started.

(No. I didn't. Yeerks can't joke.)

The detective, Cretri, wasn't amused by the Yeerk's remark. Instead, he opened up a small notebook. "Conspiring with the enemy, defamation, release of prisoners, defiance of the Council, even blackmail. The list goes on. All done in one day."

(Conspiring?) Cassie repeated.

"You should be grateful you were spared. If Sub Visser Fifty-Four hadn't spoken up for you-"

"Is this to reminisce my downfall or do you have a point to this meeting?" She was impatient. Spiteful of that name. This was old history and she wanted nothing of it.

It was ignored. The big man started the questioning. "Where were you yesterday?"

"Here as always," she explained with discontent. "This human is currently helping her relative while his family is away in Singapore for two weeks."

"I didn't ask for that, Werch."

"Oh? It's clear to me you suspect me of a crime. Why else would this be about?"

"And _have_ you committed anything?" Cretri stepped in.

"Does any Yeerk want another noose around their neck? You've already forced me down to the bottom."

"Yes, but grubs like you are always craving for the top."

"Hmph," she huffed softly. "That's what you gutters say."

"What was that?"

She shrugged that off. "You've yet to tell me what is this about. I'm being interrogated. But for what?"

After a tense moment, the detective pulled out a photo and showed it to her. I could have sworn V'trix twitched. Or was it El?

We didn't need to be as close as them to see the photo. Birds could see further than human eyes could. But the photo was something ominous.

It was a crime scene. There was nothing in the background to tell where it was taken, other than black soot everywhere. But that wasn't the most obvious thing. It was cradled inside a white outline on the floor.

A corpse. Laid out, completely burnt to the bones. With hollow eye sockets staring upwards to the sky.

There was a spine-chilling feeling down my spine. Something wasn't right about that photo and I was struggling with what that 'something' was. Because the scene looked familiar.

(Wait… Could that be…) Cassie mumbled uneasily.

"Alright," V'trix asked calmly. "Exactly what am I looking at?"

"This corpse's dental came up with a match." He hunched forward with a face stern enough to challenge the Yeerk's. "They're your host's."

El's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

(It is… Oh my gosh…) Cassie gasped.

We were all thinking the same thought. It wasn't a good one. But looking back at the photo, we couldn't deny it.

That corpse was the El we met at the site. Dead at the warehouse...

(Then that really was an Andalite?) I uttered.

(W-What is going on here?) Rachel yelled, flustered.

(Why are you asking us that? I want to know too!) Marco retaliated.

We weren't just the only ones taken aback. Neither V'trix and El were taking this well. Why should they - they just learned that the fake El was dead.

And they were afraid. The Yeerks had the same idea as us to approach them.

"Talk, Orekor. You're back to your old ways again."

Her eyes furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb with us, grub," the Yeerk in the man's head said. "You're working with the Andalites again, aren't you? Maybe even with the Bandits themselves."

She hesitated.

He wasn't wrong. A Yeerk was indeed helping us, the Bandits. An offensive act that her people wouldn't forgive if they heard it. But it wasn't like she was willing in the first place.

They wouldn't believe that.

"So you're drawing to that conclusion because of my history? Are you that incompetent?"

"You should be more mindful of your ds'sassi, Werch," he warned. "There is no denying it. That is your host in that crime scene. Unless you can convince us otherwise."

Vtrix bit her lip.

"Now. Why don't you tell us about your new allies? You may be a Werch but you still serve the Empire." He arched forward like a typical villain you see in those old cartoons. "I'll give the good word to have you disposed of painlessly."

(Isn't this escalating fast?) I uttered.

(Ax did say her own people can't even trust a Werch,) Marco answered.

"You best think carefully which side you are on as your final effort. One must take full responsibility for their actions."

No matter how stern her glare was at the detectives, it had no effect on them. Anything she'd say at this point would be crossing dangerous water.

"Receipts."

"What did you say?"

V'trix glanced up with a bit of confidence. "I can prove I've not been encountered any Andalites."

"A piece of paper doesn't prove anything-"

"But timestamps do. I go through an average of twenty deliveries daily and before 9, I have to return home or here. It takes fifteen to thirty minutes to deliver food and be back. Moreover, there are other tasks to attend to. Cooking, cleaning, taking orders-"

"And your point is?" Zioop hissed.

"Exactly when have I come across any Andalites?"

He looked surprised, irritated at the card she folded. But his partner stayed calm.

"So? Acquiring DNA only takes a few minutes-"

"Of course. But it would be obvious," V'trix pushed. "If you're going to debate that within my busy schedule, one acquired this human's DNA without me noticing and in public, then I hope you have solid evidence to back that claim."

"T-They could have knocked you out without you knowing."

"I think I can remember well if I've been jumped on, you uôl!"

"Silence! This is one of your tricks, Werch!"

"Really? When have these Andalite Bandits been able to?" She folded her arms. "How about I start with showing you yesterday's receipts then?"

"I told you. That don't prove anything!"

"Zioop's right," Cretri pointed. "Who's to say you've been on good terms with the Bandits for years now?"

V'trix squinted her eyes out of annoyance. "You're grasping at the reeds here. Fine. I'll bring in all of the receipts since I started work. That should cover the last two years."

"You couldn't possibly-"

"Filed all of them? Why, yes I have. It's mandatory. And exactly when did the Bandits surfaced? Ah, I remembered. It was a year ago. Or do you have another rebuttal to that?"

They were silent.

"Perhaps you should talk to the forensics about the mixup they've made. As you said before, one must take full responsibility for their actions," Vtrix stated mockingly. "Start with yours."

That should have been enough for them to back out. But Cretri was the one who remained calm.

He wasn't buying it.

"You have this figured out, Orekor 8517," he said. His composure was making V'trix slightly worried. "Then you should be fine coming down to the station. Just to answer more questions."

No, she wasn't. The moment they'd take them to the station, there would be no telling what the Yeerks would do to El.

(This… Could this be?) Cassie suddenly glanced around quickly, as if she was realizing something.

(Shouldn't we do something?) I asked. This one-sided confrontation was going a bit too far, even if this was between Yeerks.

 _Ding!_

"El." Before we could decide, Mr Liang stepped out of the restaurant to her rescue. With his unfriendly expression. "Come inside."

(No. Don't do this,) Marco muttered.

"I'm sorry, Sir." The Yeerk held up his hand, using his role to stop him. "We need your relative to make a statement."

"No," Mr Liang replied sternly.

"Oh, but we'll contact her parents to be legal witnesses for her-"

"Then do that now. She is not going. Come inside."

El didn't move. She was dreadfully worried - go inside and the Controllers might go after her great uncle or follow them and still endanger her relative.

(T-This...this is different.) Different? That was an odd thing for Cassie to say. She sounded panicky too. (I-I don't even have that morph yet-)

(Cassie? What are you talking about?) Rachel asked both warily and worriedly.

(W-We need to save them! They're gonna get killed!)

"This is police business," Zioop snarled. He grabbed El's arm and hustled her away. Not without El giving him a bit of a fight. "As we said before, we need her statement."

But Mr Liang intervened, cutting himself between him and El. "You cannot take my grand niece away-"

"Get out of the way, human!"

 _TSEEEW!_

It happened so fast.

Too fast for us to register it. Too horrible for El to react.

The smell of burning flesh was strong. Mr Liang dropped to the ground, clutching his abdomen.

He'd been shot.

" _Kong Kong!_ "

"Don't move," the Yeerk threatened. "You're coming with us, Werch."

"Oh my god! Mr Liang!"

At sheer luck, a familiar face appeared around a corner. Hanan was there on her bike, maybe from a delivery. Thanks to her holler, customers from inside the restaurant trickled out one by one.

"Liang!"

"What happened?!"

"Someone call an ambulance!"

The Yeerk cursed at his mistake. Pulling out a Dracon Beam in broad daylight all because he lost his temper.

"Settle down! This is a crime scene!" his partner yelled, trying to calm everyone down as more flooded out. The two cops quickly went to assess the situation.

"He needs help!" another person yelled.

(Run!) Cassie yelled at her. But El wouldn't. Not without Mr Liang.

"Stop right there!" Zioop ordered, having switched his Dracon Beam for a pistol. He was making her out to be the bad guy. "You're under arrest!"

"Let me go! Kong Kong!" She was shoved to the ground, hands cuffed behind.

"El!" Hanan was immediately stopped by the cops. "Where are you taking her?!"

The two detective Controllers slipped into their car with El thrown into the backseat. It didn't matter if they'd leave a person to bleed on the road. Not even the cops would let anyone get near Mr Liang.

I couldn't help but feel sorry and weak. All I could do was hope the ambulance would hurry soon.

(This is getting out of hand,) Marco choked.

(We got to save El!) Cassie shouted, a little fidgety than expected.

(But…) Rachel was hesitant. (We save her, there's no coming back from that. They'll think she's a turncoat.)

(It doesn't matter!) Cassie hollered. (That Controller wants V'trix dead!)

(Cassie!) But she took off. It was uncharacteristic of her, jumping in like that instead of going together. We wouldn't leave a kid our age alone to the Yeerks, even if she was a Controller. But Cassie was frantic.

We followed after the car driving its way out of the Quarter and into a small industrial area.

(This is insane. We're on a rescue mission,) Marco started off.

(Guys?) Soaring right into us were a peregrine falcon and a Northern Harrier. Ok. That was a coincidence we just so happened to run into Jake and Ax. (What are you doing up here?)

(Did you see a second peregrine falcon and a second Northern Harrier?) Ax suddenly asked.

(Wait, what?) Rachel uttered. Even I was lost.

(It's hard to explain,) Jake muttered. (We might have been followed by two more Andalites-)

(Wait, wait, wait!) Marco hollered. (Too much info to take in! We'll talk later. El's in trouble.)

(What happened?) he asked firmly.

(Yeerks think V'trix's working with us because they have the same idea as we did on that other El.)

(Mr Liang… They shot him,) Cassie stumbled with her words.

Birds couldn't give faces. No smiles or frowns. But the silence was enough to tell us Jake was up to speed and right into his leadership. The Yeerks hurt a human, a bystander and an old man at that.

They crossed the line.

(Alright. Let's stop them.)

The car then came to a halt on an empty bridge. Our cue to get ready.

(Tobias, you know what to do. Everyone else, follow me.)

The others headed down to an alley below. Finally, I spotted El. Zioop forcefully pulled her out of the car and hurled her down to her knees.

"It's your fault, Orekor," Cretri commented. "You turned yourself into a walking security breach for helping the Bandits." He squatted down to her level but she wouldn't look up. "And now we got another mess to clean up. But a simple false report will suffice for that one human."

Her hands behind her back curled into fists. Both of them.

"I'm only a grunt, unlike you. A brilliant scientist in the past. But this human's position has its perks. It's like changing puzzles. Nobody to question that a human child killed her own family when the evidence stacks up."

It was horrid to hear. But the police was right under the Yeerks' thumbs. A detective Controller falsifying evidence and statements could get away with anything.

"Well. You brought this upon yourself." He stood up and raised his Dracon beam. "The only thing a Werch is good for is a dead one."

I swooped in. Talons outstretched.

 _SWOOOSH!_

I swabbed the weapon right out of his hand.

"Andalites!" Zioop yelled, seizing out his own. "I knew you were in league with the Bandits!"

"Gaaaah!" All of a sudden, El let out a battle cry. She charged with all her might into one shove. That kicked Cretri right off his feet and that was enough for Zioop to waver.

"ROOOOAR!"

Jake pounced right into the scene, smacking the tough detective down. In the midst of this chaos, El dove down and rolled under the car. Good. It was better for her to stay out of harm's way.

"You Andalite scum!" Cretri pulled out his handgun.

 _FWAPPP!_

The barrel was sliced off. Cretri spun around not only to face Ax but also Rachel hurtling towards him. One shoulder of a bear was enough to send him flying across his car, knocking him out like a light.

"I surrender! I surrender!" the other Yeerk pleaded.

(Marco, put him in the boot.)

(Got it.) No matter how much the Controller screamed "Wait, no!", he shut him inside.

(Can't believe we're saving this Yeerk,) Rachel groaned. (Now what should we do?)

It was then I noticed El crawling out. This time her hands were freed. She must have gotten the keys when she shoved into that Cretri guy.

But it was what she had in those hands that alarmed me.

(Jake!)

It was too late. One turn and Jake found the muzzle of a Dracon Beam digging into his head. The same firearm the detective dropped when Jake leaped onto him.

El, with a resentful scowl, had him at gunpoint.

* * *

To make up the long delay, I completed Chapter Thirteen for you guys. Whoooo! It went pretty well for this one with some help. But yup, got the tension rolling. :3

Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I might have some trouble with the next chapters but do hope I'll get the next up for the biweekly deadline.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.

And another big shoutout. I want to thank a reader by the name, carome for the many encouraging reviews they've given in AO3. It's such an honor to receive them from you and giving me the courage to keep going - even if it might get confusing with the time travelling. You're not alone there, carome. Again thank you so much and I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter! :D


	14. The Reversal

**FOURTEEN: RACHEL**

* * *

A human Controller with a Dracon Beam is dangerous. In any of our fights, there was never a person without one, frantically firing at us. We had our fair shares of close encounters too. One mistake and any of us could wound up dead.

I never thought I'd see the day when El would hold one. I never wanted that on her or anyone I know.

"El, stop." Her left hand latched onto her right wrist but the Dracon Beam was drilled right on Jake's cranium. She gave a quick worried expression.

Right. The Yeerk could only control El's left side. Just as we saw El fight to take back V'trix compact from us, there was a visible battle here between two in one body. So of course, she was worried about her own life if her host was going berserk.

Then her face twisted back. El had a different kind of look compared to other Controllers.

"You killed him…" El muttered "Because of you, Kong Kong was shot…"

(El! Put that weapon down,) Cassie begged. But that wasn't getting through to her.

(Ax, stop!) Jake suddenly ordered. I glanced back, seeing Ax reluctantly withdraw his tail blade back. That was a stupid decision to make. El had him on gunpoint!

But she was also emotionally unsteady.

"El, please!" V'trix pleaded. "Step away from them."

Even she wouldn't listen to her Yeerk. But eventually, she compelled with a regretful grimace. A few steps back and her right passed the Dracon Beam over to her left.

She then glared icily, her aim right on us.

"Tell us!" El's Yeerk demanded. This time, her cool, emotionless demeanor was gone. "Why is that Andalite dead?! Why did they die as El?"

Jake's head bobbed up. (How did she find out?)

(There was an investigation at the warehouse,) Cassie replied quietly. (Those detectives showed her photos…)

(We...we don't know,) Marco answered. (She was already dead when we found her.)

V'trix scowled frustratedly. "You… Because of your foolish comrade, you put not only us in danger but also Liang himself!"

(That's because of you, Yeerk!) I hollered.

"What?" she hissed with narrowed eyes.

(You are the enemy here. You and your people are trying to take everyone for their bodies. And you can't risk anything that could jeopardize your entire race to the world. That's why all of this happened!)

"How despicable," she groaned back. "You walked right into our lives and exposed us out to my people. They think I work with you! They won't turn a blind eye on us anymore!"

(Then you should have never been this human's host from the beginning.) I noticed her flinch a bit. Good! (Your very existence is what got that human killed.)

"SHUT UP!" El suddenly exploded, making us jump. "Just shut up, you stupid centaurs! You don't get to push the blame on her when this is your fault."

(Our fault?) I rebutted. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You're the one who screwed everything for us!" she yelled. "We were perfectly fine before you came to us! We didn't have to worry about anything related to you, the Yeerks or this stupid war. Kong Kong could be dead! And now because of your dead friend, V'trix's gonna be hunted and my family turned into Controllers!"

I didn't care about El's Yeerk. Whatever'd happen to her was none of my concern. I had to convince El she wasn't worth it. She still had a chance to be a free human. It'd be a win-win for me.

(Listen to yourself! You're in cohorts with a Yeerk. A parasite! They're slavers, El. That's what they do! That slug doesn't care for you at all. You're just arms, legs, eyes and ears to her. Nothing more than a sweet ride-)

"You're no better than the Yeerk who shot Kong Kong!" El screamed.

It was the first time I've ever seen her like this. I was so shocked that I didn't know how to react. Then quickly a little angry that she'd put us in the same league as the enemy.

But before I could even give another snap at her, she was strangely struggling with her emotions. As easily as her anger went off like a mine, she couldn't contain it anymore.

She swelled up with tears.

"Give him back!" she croaked. "Give Kong Kong back… H-He's not part of this war... "

The Dracon Beam dropped from her hand and she fell to her knees, the left immediately latching onto her like someone would be trying to catch her.

"AAAaaaAAAHHH!"

Clutching her head with her right, she screamed.

It was...pitiful. Terrible. I didn't think she'd break down like a child. But she had every right to let it out. I didn't know what to say. Nobody did. Because this scene was a bit similar.

It was happening again. A family was ruined and a kid got into trouble with the Yeerks that there was no way for him to return back to a normal life. This time, it happened to El.

This wasn't our fault. We had nothing to do with the other El. But...we should have done something.

Her left hand gently grabbed her right and the sobbing softened.

"El, enough. They won't help us."

It didn't help that the Yeerk was pushing the idea we were the bad guys. Driving home that sickening feeling deep into us like a nail into an open wound. But we had to keep to our show as Andalites. She saw us as just that - a group who didn't and wouldn't care for a Yeerk and Controller.

She then got up and walked away.

(Where are you going?) Jake demanded.

"To fix your mess." V'trix immediately grabbed for the handcuffs on the floor and marched over to the unconscious Controller. "El, please. Help me."

At first, she waited. Then she, they went to work - together, they seized both his arms and pulled, dragging him away.

(What are you doing?)

She didn't reply. No, she outright ignored us. Her main focus was to bring the man to an isolated blindspot, where she slapped the cuffs onto his hands to a pipe.

(Hey!) I hollered.

"Quiet," V'trix ordered. "He cannot know or hear anything."

(You don't get to tell us what we-)

"She said back off!" El snapped angrily, stopping me. "You've already helped us enough."

It didn't help that she was making this harder for me. Had this been any other Controller, I wouldn't hesitate to take them down. But I knew El, and seeing her react like that...I couldn't. The worst part, El was putting her trust on this slug more than she should with us.

She needed to snap out of this brainwashing from her!

"El, I need you to keep control of your emotions. Follow my lead."

"V'trix...what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," she answered worriedly. "But maybe with a bit of luck, I can, you know the human saying, kill two aviformes with one rock."

There was a small laugh. That seemed to cheer El up a bit. "It's 'two birds with one stone'. But you're close."

V'trix shared that soft smile. "At least I'm improving a little on these human proverbs." Then she went about searching for something. There was a small bucket by a backdoor, full of sand and cigarette butts. A makeshift ashtray for workers coming out for a smoke break. She was already at work, dumping the contents out and fetching water from the side.

(Jake, we need to stop her,) I hissed privately.

(I agree. She is not going to disclose anything to us,) Ax enforced.

Even Jake couldn't let this go on. While the Yeerk finished her task, he quickly stepped in with his terrifying tiger body blocking her way. (Stop what you're doing.)

"Get out of our way," she warned.

(No,) he demanded. (You are still our enemy and we can't have you acting on your own.)

"And what? Have you speak to him? Look at how your interferences have gotten us so far."

Jake glanced at her with his predatory tiger eyes. I don't know if he was trying to intimidate her, but it was clear that he did. (Our interference? No, this is your mess. You were a thorn in their side long before this happened. And you told us to leave you alone. You ran out on us, remember.) He paused and looked around, gesturing to where we were. (Now you're out of options. You're coming with us.)

And again, she headbutted back. "We ran? Stop deluding yourself. My people have ignored me for the longest time until now. My Werch title was the only thing protecting El and her family from those stupid nosy gutters. And now, thanks to you, El's wanted. They will dispose of her quickly, with or without me."

That part was a bit strange to me. I didn't understand what she meant at all. But she was right, El was disabled. Yeerks didn't have any use for hosts like her.

"Neither of us set these events in motion. Your ally dying did. As El. She was one of yours, wasn't she? Your responsibility."

(We don't even know her!) I uttered.

El's Yeerk narrowed her eyes. "She was still an Andalite."

I groaned mentally. This was getting no way. We didn't even know who that other Andalite was to begin with!

"She was also responsible for what happened to Liang. If they never discovered that corpse… El would have been fine..." It was uncanny to see the Yeerk glower with anguish. Maybe that was because of El's grief merging with her expression. Because I didn't believe she cared about Mr Liang. Why should she?

Jake grew silent. (I can understand that… But she can't do anything if she's hunted like a dog, now can she?) His tone was a bit less cruel than before. (You don't need to trust us. At the end of the day, you know the Yeerks are going to shoot you on sight.)

That reality was sinking in as she averted her troubled gaze away.

(You care about your host, right? Well, trust us or not, we're still your best chance.)

Her right fist tightened, shaking uncontrollably but the rest of her manner remained unchanged. I couldn't read her at all.

"Hmph," El's Yeerk scorned. "Keep your word. Unlike you backstabbers, I have every intention to keep my promises."

(What do you mean?)

"We haven't diverged from our agreement, Andalite," she huffed. "We're getting you your box."

(What?)

"Now move."

V'trix was dead serious. And once few seconds passed, she lost her patience waiting for him to step back.

By throwing the cold water.

(Hey!) Jake dodged it but her throw wasn't directed at him.

Splash!

"Garrgh!" In a instant, the Controller woke up. His eyes snapped onto V'trix. "You!"

She simply waited, hands in pockets. Her quiet demeanor was already taunting him. He lunged, only to realize he was cuffed up.

"Take these off, you little Werch! This isn't funny!"

She didn't budge. Her indifferent eyes were locked on him. Analyzing his anger. Frankly, I had no idea what she had planned.

"I'll make you pay for this-!"

"Silence, Yeerk filth. You are in our power," V'trix snapped. But without her bored look.

"What?" he hollered.

"If you want to live, you will answer my questions," she pushed with exaggerated arrogance. "It'd be unwise to defy me."

Ok. Now we were confused.

(What's going on?) Cassie asked, puzzled.

(Say,) Marco whispered quietly. (This looks familiar...)

"Have you lost your mind, Orekor? Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

She then gave a playful grin. Like a cat teasing the mouse. "Who said I am Orekor?"

The detective Controller, Cretri, slowly digested that question.

(Hang on,) I said, realizing why this was familiar. (Isn't she acting like Ax?)

(What?) Ax uttered, stunned.

It was exactly that. The night we caught El and Ax tried to interrogate her Yeerk. She was using his own tactics around on one of her own. And unlike her tired response back then, this Controller's eyes widened with growing fear.

"You're joking… You can't be a Bandit."

El's Yeerk kneeled down. "So you do have an intellect mind. Let's skip the introductions then, shall we?"

"T-Then," he hesitated for a bit, wrapping his brain around his situation. "Ha! So that Werch was working with you! That little grub's getting what she deserves!"

"Alliance? With a Yeerk?" V'trix toss out a convincing, cold laugh. "Like we would work with the likes of you."

His hysterical laughter stopped. Now it was a quivering frown. "W-What?"

"It was nothing but a fluke. Had I known her host was a Controller, I'd kill her myself. Still, I suppose the advantage of this mess up is having you Yeerks be led astray." Then she smirked softly. "And now we have you here."

He trembled, cowering further back as much as he could.

I couldn't believe it. It was working. She was using her own experience from us against him.

"I-It doesn't matter!" Cretri rebutted with a shaking grin. "That grub still crossed paths with you! Ahahaha!"

"So? You're not going anywhere reporting to your superiors, Yeerk," V'trix pushed calmly. "But then again, I doubt they'll ignore your 'actions' after this."

That caught his attention. He was almost afraid to ask. "W-What do you mean?"

"Visser Three," she spat the name with captivating spite. "He's going to need someone to blame. Who's going to take that first?"

The color in his face drained out. "H-He'll take care of that Werch…"

"Are you positive? We both know what he's like. The slightest hint of ill news and off goes someone's head. I believe that's the right human term," she cooed emotionlessly. "More importantly, the disclosure on the Werch? It will have to come from your mouth."

He gulped, sweaty palms and heavy breathing. She was planting more seeds of doubt into him that it was actually, well… I hated it but I also liked it.

"That 'Werch'." El's Yeerk cupped her chin cunningly. "Was it your responsibility to keep track on her? That must mean she's valuable, in the right hands, that is."

"S-She's not my responsibility! Sarric's the one in charge over her!"

(Sarric,) Jake repeated worriedly. The name of Tom's Yeerk.

"Does it matter? I doubt the visser would exercise that much restraint with the one who let her get away." And the reaction in the detective's pale face clearly said Visser Three wouldn't.

(Wow,) Marco admitted. (She's better than you at faking it, Ax-Man. No offense.)

(Hmph.) Ax finally regained back his composure, huffing out his chest with arms folded. He was clearly insulted - not too sure at the Yeerk, Marco or both. (Arisths do not use such over-exaggerated, mediocre tactics.)

And she wasn't even done with the detective. "And from your reaction, now I know. This Orekor is a Yeerk we'll need to look into. Thank you for your cooperation." V'trix stood up, paying no heed to the detective's growing angst. "Losing track of that Yeerk and now giving secrets to the enemies. How will your superiors take to that?"

That was the final nail in the coffin for Cretri. He believed everything she cooked up and after that, I don't think he'd ever say anything to Visser Three. Maybe he'd even leave El's family alone.

She hunched closer, giving him a threatening scowl. "Now. You're going to answer one question and you can go. But if I don't like the answer, I'm coming for you. Full Andalite."

A risky thing to say but he hollered out a yap.

"So. Where is the device?"

"W-What?" He didn't sound sure at all.

El's Yeerk lowered her head with eyes closed. She quietly climbed back up.

"Wait! Wait!" he panicked, forgetting he was still chained up. That stopped her. "You're talking about what Visser Three brought to Tus'lï 9, aren't you?"

(Tus'lï 9?) I said. That was a new Yeerk word we've never heard.

(Ax, do you know what is that?) Jake asked.

Ax's stalk eyes were still on the two Yeerks but he looked uncertain. (Actually, that's the first I've ever heard.)

"I can tell you where that is-!"

"I already know." I could have sworn El's Yeerk had a bit of annoyance in her. With a shake of her head, she continued. "Remember. If this isn't the answer I like, we're coming back for you, Yeerk filth."

At first, that seemed like the end of the interrogation. She slowly turned away and the detective gave a sigh of relief.

But V'trix glanced back. "Well then. I guess you've outlived your usefulness."

"W-What? Wait! Wait! You said you'd let me go-"

Pow!

Without warning, her right hand went flying. Knocked the lights right out of a grown man. And he was down.

That really took us by surprise.

"Satisfied?"

"...No," El replied darkly. "But it's better than nothing."

This was honestly...scary. Yeah, that's kinda strange coming from me but I've never seen this side of hers till now. It was always with a perky smile and and a quiet, happy hello whenever I'd see El at my front door or at school. And honestly, I think I'd do the same if I was in her shoes. Even if a punch was a bit too forgiving for that detective's Yeerk, he deserved it.

El's Yeerk then scoured through the detective's coat pockets, pulling out a set of car keys.

"Now comes the hard part," she mumbled. To herself or El, I'm not sure. And just like that, she walked away from us.

(Hey!) I barked. I really hated this! Stop ignoring us!

FWAPPP!

Ax's blade was lighting fast, sitting right at El's throat but the Yeerk barely recoiled from it.

(Ax, stop!) Cassie uttered.

(There is no need for this Yeerk to continue her shenanigans. She knows what this Tus'lï is. And where.)

Jake sighed. (As much as I hate to say it...he is right.)

"Get out of our way," V'trix daringly ordered, with no idea what we were discussing to ourselves.

(No. Tell us where this place is. I have enough of you taking the lead,) Ax interrogated.

She glowered jadedly. "Why should I tell you my leverage?"

That didn't sound good to all of us. Jake asked sternly, (You're not going to tell us?)

"You have something of mine. It's only fair that we have something you want. Information." She sent a quick glance at Marco, the Compact he had been carrying this whole time in his hand. Once Jake noticed that, Marco coughed softly.

Well, he was bound to find out anyway.

"This is insurance that you don't bring harm to El. You want to get that device through to the end, correct? We're going, whether you like it or not."

(We can't have you doing that,)Jake barked.

"You don't have a choice. What you're walking into is nothing but a death trap, for both Andalites and Yeerks. I could easily let you go and be killed to solve all our problems. But...you are right. You're still our best chance." She glared irritatedly at us. I think both did, actually. "I hate to admit it...but we have to work together."

Ax balked at that idea. I think we all did, but he was the first to put it into words. (Why would we need to work with you?) he demanded.

Another 'hmph' from the Yeerk. "You're more than welcome to try sneaking into a Tus'lï. We know how tremendously capable you Bandits are slipping into my people's bases. But don't say I didn't warn you. I know that place inside and out better than all of you."

"Which basically means V'trix's your key into that joint," El added.

God, how big was her ego?! She was a bad influence on El!

(We'll do just fine on our own,) I said.

"Oh, I'm sure," the Yeerk jeered indifferently. "But while you spend the next who knows how long trying to figure where the facility is, we'll be on our way. So it might be easier to follow us. You've been doing a good job so far."

(I really want to kill this Yeerk,) I grumbled privately. She was more annoying than Visser Three. And he didn't even have a smart-aleck mouth.

"V'trix," El started off tired. "My bike's still back at the restaurant."

"It's all right. We won't need that. It's too far away for us to trek on one."

El furrowed her eyebrows. "Then how are we getting there?"

True. She didn't have easy transport like us. One bird morph up and you could literally cross miles away from the city. Which did mean this Tus'lï place had to be somewhere within the region.

"Simple," her Yeerk hummed. "We're taking that vehicle. And you're learning how to drive."

Her eyes went wide. "Huh?"

* * *

Apologies again for the delay. Well, this chapter was almost done but I was struggling with the dialogue here and there. I'm honestly not that great with conversation, whether it's passing the time, explaining or building up tension. :Y I really wanna thank Artisan219 for helping me a lot with this part.

There's also another reason added. I've been designing how the Animorphs look like with an art style. Along with designs on El and V'trix. XD I apologise for that. But it's so much fun working them out. You can check out some head designs I've posted here at my tumblr blog, bluehedron. It's where I'll post more artwork there so check it out. My first completed one coming soon will be Marco. :3c

Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I might have some trouble with the next chapters but do hope I'll get the next up for the biweekly deadline.

Also shoutout to Artisan219's fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #1**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a whirl.


	15. The Recall

**FIFTEEN: AX**

* * *

I did not like this.

I especially did not like the fact this one Yeerk had us within her grasp. We should have dealt with her sooner than later. But as much as I despised her - the same said for every Yeerk - that blue decahedron box was my top priority. An Andalite device, any piece of technology should never be in their hands.

So we had no choice but to follow after her and her host by flight. They had taken the other Controller's vehicle and drove, which this was a surprise to my friends. It was strange that humans could not learn to drive until they've reached a certain age. I've learned how to fly a small ship before I even became an aristh. Apparently, as Cassie once explained to me, adolescent humans had to follow rules.

Our journey to our destination had a slow start. Those two had to stop, turn off the engine and duck under several times. This was only because of passing law enforcement on thin vehicles with bright red and blue light. It was agreeable - the less they attract attention, the better.

The Yeerk did stop at a town before our destination. They headed to a small store before we could stop them. Prince Jake intervened, of course, but the purchases she made were not enough to warrant weapons. Just human household items. In her 'defence', as she claimed, they were for preparations for the worst to come at this Tus'lï.

We finally arrived outside a human's source of electrical power - running on geothermal energy from what my friends explained. Its large size did make an ideal location for a Yeerk location, perhaps especially for this Tus'lï 9. Too big of a space needed for just a large-scale Yeerk pool, however.

"I'm never doing that again," the Controller groaned, exiting out the vehicle.

"You did fine following my lead, El," the Yeerk pointed. "With a bit more practice, you might be able to pass your pilot license."

"Driver. It's driver's license. And nope, never gonna touch a wheel ever. I should have been caught miles ago."

(With the number of times they got away with illegal driving till here, I can't blame her,) Marco said to us.

Tobias stayed close watch on the two while the rest of us demorphed at a blind spot - my friends into their battle morphs. However, the Yeerk didn't seem to go off on her own. Instead, they warily examined the facility from a hilltop.

(Is this where that Tus'lï 9 is?) Prince Jake asked, more of a means to make these two stay and question rather than out of curiosity.

They turned to us, the Yeerk giving a disinterested expression. "Yes. The laboratory is underneath the geothermal facility."

(This is a Yeerk research lab?) Cassie uttered.

She pondered for a moment. "Well, not entirely. While my people do conduct most of our research in a Tus'lï, they serve just as a storage for various items. To prevent them from being known to the general populace, Yeerk and human."

"Like Zone 91," the host uttered at the same time as Marco said privately to us, (Like Zone 91!)

Marco visibly hunched back, glancing at the human with wide black eyes. However, El did not hear his thought-speech and remained oblivious to his shock.

"Similar but under the Yeerks' jurisdiction. And with much tighter security," the Yeerk explained. "Perhaps you can find something of your own, Andalites."

(Why did they build this lab out here?) Cassie asked.

"Geothermal energy, power demands rival the whole residential grid. A Tus'li can easily blackout an entire human city if we were to use normal means of energy. And thanks to the volcanic field here, this was the best location for one."

(Holy...just how many Tus'li are they?) Marco groaned.

"We're at the most recent one."

(And that means your 'leverage' ends here.) Rachel rose up to the Yeerk in a threatening stance. However, she had little reaction to a large bear in front of her.

"What?" the Yeerk scoffed. "Plan to kill us now?"

(Just you, Yeerk,) she hissed. (You've been a real prick from the start.)

"Then go ahead, you blockhead centaur!" This time, the human. Her voice, mannerisms, everything immediately changed. Unlike the Yeerk's cool, calm demeanor, the human stomped her foot forward with an irritated expression.

Rachel jumped back. It was getting harder for my friends to keep in mind that this was just one enemy, not an enemy and a human.

"You've done a fine job ruining our lives. Might as well end it for both of us."

Had this been any other human, I was sure Rachel would gladly accept that request. Instead, she dropped down on four, with her head lowered.

Humans can be confusing creatures. They are complex, and even after all this time, I still struggle to make sense of them. They often divide themselves into groups based on bizarre and arbitrary factors, but they also sometimes come together for reasons just as senseless.

I knew they were sympathetic to this human. But I could not trust in sympathy. Sympathy could be dangerous, and though I trusted my friends, that did not mean I had to trust the Controller.

She was a necessary evil - a means to an end. And I had to make sure we didn't lose sight of that. That so much time could be wasted on a Yeerk and a human vecol would have been incomprehensible to me in the past.

"El," the Yeerk warned, with a hint of worry. "Don't overstep your boundaries."

But the human averted her gaze. "I don't care. Andalites are nothing but trouble for everyone."

(Sheez,) Marco uttered privately. (Ax, what did your people do to her?)

It was peculiar for this unwarranted hatred for my people, from a human child at that. (I would not know. But it seems like these two had an engagement in the past.)

(Well, **_clearly!_** )

(Enough,) Prince Jack stepped in. (You've led us to the location and that's it. You are going to stay at the car. For your own safety.)

"For our own safety?!" the human hollered, unusually loud and offended. "What makes you think we'll stay put?"

(We've never agreed to let you go inside.)

El's right fist shook angrily but her Yeerk companion took over, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Did I not say you're walking into a deathtrap? This facility has advanced security. Do you really think you can get in without my help?"

(Oh? And you can easily walk in, right?) Rachel huffed.

The Yeerk hunched down her shoulders, giving an astonished expression. "You jest, right? This location is riddled with every sense of protection, even special Gleet Bio-Filters on algorithmic protocols that only a list of important names can enter. Any common Yeerk, a Werch at that, would be immediately disintegrated upon entrance."

(Then you're useless,) she uttered brashly.

The Yeerk's eyes widened. That was a surprise - seeing her taken aback by the response. Oddly, she gazed away with a hurt expression, her left squeezing her right arm. "I… I am not useless…"

Then El interrupted angrily. "Hey! Step off, you stupid horse-man!"

(Horse-man?!) Rachel repeated. (I'm a girl! And we'll take our chances, thanks!)

"And we'll be waltzing right in while you all are wandering around endlessly-!"

(Oh, for crying out loud!) Marco hollered, cutting the conversation. (Just let her open the doors! We're wasting time arguing.)

(No!) At the same time, the Yeerk said "No."

(Why not?!) This outburst was directed at the Yeerk.

She simply sighed. "Again, reminder. I am a Werch. My codes don't work anymore. And I don't have that level of hacking skills."

(Codes? What do you mean by that?)

"Nothing that warrants your concern," she said with a dark glance. "It's already in the past."

(Wait, did you use to work here?) Cassie asked.

The Yeerk's gaze grew darker. "What does that matter? I no longer can enter that place-"

(But you know how to get in?) Cassie pointed. (Our goals are the same, Yeerk. We want the box and you want us out of your lives. This stalling isn't going to have us leave.)

The Yeerk hesitated but she knew she was correct. And that persuasion helped. "...There is an underwater spring that's right next to the research lab. That's a much safer way than going through the front door. Fewer security protocols."

(Thank you.)

"And?" It was clear that the Yeerk didn't accept her gratitude. "What are you going to do once you get in?"

(We're not telling you anything,) Rachel barked.

"No, you should." She pouted with arms folded and the left foot tapping. This was a particular human gesture I've seen on TV - where a human adult would show disappointment or disapproval to a young child. "Any blunder you make inside will alert my people in under half a second. Involving El and me in the crossfire. If you intend to retrieve this device with little trouble, then I need to know how you are going to bypass the twenty layers of dangerous barriers. Perhaps an additional five since my demotion."

(T-Twenty? Isn't this place too overprotective?!) Marco whined.

"What do you expect? They don't want anyone in, Yeerk or not."

(This is just another one of your tricks. You're trying to make us think that,) Rachel pushed.

The Yeerk grimaced. "This isn't about deceiving you. That place is too dangerous for anyone without the right credentials and procedures."

(Doesn't matter. The less you know, the better for us.)

(But is it a good idea we know little of what she knows?) Prince Jake suddenly spoke out in private thought-speech.

Rachel wheeled around, shocked of course. (You're not buying into this, are you?)

(No but do any of us know what it's like inside?)

We were quiet. Irritatedly, Rachel tried to reason, (It's probably like any Yeerk pool we've snuck in.)

(Can we really take that for granted?) he asked. (Ax, what about you? Do you know what they might have inside?)

I hesitated to answer. It was true I had zero knowledge of what a Tus'lï was from the inside. This may be the first time an Andalite had ever come across an enemy's location like this. (No. Like I've said before, this is a first I've ever heard of this facility.)

(See? We already have a wanted Yeerk with us. If we go in blind, we're going to have more heat on us than before,) Prince Jake pointed out. (Plus...twenty layers of security...I think we'd be pushing our luck with that.)

(Agreed,) Marco added. (For once, I'm glad you're not telling us to go in head-on.)

(She said this spring's the safest route. Maybe that's got less than twenty,) Rachel stated quickly.

(Do you really want to take that risk?)

(We can figure it out when we're inside. How about thinking of how we get inside? Geothermal uses water, right? That means pipes.)

(Well, we'd have to go in as fish,) Cassie explained. (It'd be safer to go through the cooling pipe as trout and they are cold-water fish.)

(Ok, we have a means to get in. What about after that?) Marco asked.

While they were discussing this, I realized this could be a good opportunity to survey the interiors of a Tus'lï. This would make valuable intel for my people, even if this might be dangerous for my friends and me. (While Rachel has a good point, I must agree with Prince Jake too. We must know more about this Tus'lï.)

I presumed that if Rachel was a human right now, she'd be giving me the "stinkeye". For a moment, I thought she had figured my intention out. Then she uttered, (Of course, you would. Everything Jake says, you obey his every order.)

(Except at the restaurant,) he mumbled.

(I was simply keeping watch on the Yeerk,) I swiftly explained.

Prince Jake sighed. (Alright. All in favor of listening to her plan?)

Everyone but Rachel agreed. Yes, I did too but for my own objectives.

(This is a bad idea,) she snapped.

(I want to live longer, thank you very much,) Marco grumbled at her.

(Ok. You know what this base is like,) Prince Jake demanded from the Yeerk. (Tell us what's inside.)

She rolled her eyes. "Explaining all of the protocols is nothing but a hassle, especially when we are running out of nighttime. It'd be better to just show you as we go."

(What do you mean by that?) He cautiously stepped forth.

"We've said this before. We're coming with you."

We were all stumped, looking at each other. Them? With no morphing powers?

(You're just a Yeerk with a human. How are **_you_** going to get inside?) Marco asked.

"Through the spring. What else."

(Huh? You're serious?!)

(Ha!) I laughed. (Of course not. This is a Yeerk's poor attempt at humor. You have no morphing ability. And you said it yourself. You can't get inside easily.)

But no matter how loud and amusing my laughter was, it did not tear away that stern look from the Yeerk.

"I did. Not through normal means. The spring is a direct water supply into the T'suli for some of the molecular and cell biology studies inside. Even a human like El can slip through. That takes care about the first fifteen layers."

(See? Told you it'd be less,) Rachel boosted.

"That leaves the hardest security measures to crack." The explanation made Marco holler, (Oh, c'mon!) "And I know how."

(Now you're being so full of yourself.)

She ignored Rachel, slipping her bag off her. "I think I've said this before. Your people and mine rely too much on our technologies to notice how vulnerable you can be. And despite how slow humans have advanced, it doesn't mean they don't have ways to bypass our very own systems."

(What is that supposed to mean?) I demanded.

"Well, for example, your dependency on this morphing ability. Just waiting for you to decide what animal you wish to change is already a waste of our time."

(You-!) I was dumbfounded. A Yeerk calling morphing a waste?! How absurd! (Arrogant Yeerk! It takes less than five human minutes.)

"Hmph," she scoffed. "Five minutes delayed when we can be at the spring and right inside by then."

I couldn't believe my ears. Morphing was a revolutionary technology in Andalite history, the first invention of its kind in the universe! And I was hearing my own enemy finding it a bore!

(Ax, calm down.) Prince Jake turned back to the Yeerk. (We also said we're not taking you with us.)

"Alright. Do you know where to find the supply entrance?" He didn't reply straight away. "How to get by Delta-based Gleet Bio-Filters? The ID recognition scanners that include heat sensors? The heavy-assault gate into the lab itself?"

Prince Jake was stern. Then he heaved a heavy, tired sigh. (...I got nothing.)

(So? Sounds like it's also impossible for you,) Rachel barked.

"We can do it, y'know?" Now it was the human speaking confidently. "We can get that box faster than you can with your morphing."

(A-eh…) Rachel clearly wanted to rebuke back, worriedly might I add. (But you're just a human. You could be killed.)

"So?" she started with a glare. "Why should you Andalites care?"

(Huh? But-)

"I'd rather go through some deadly trap inside than listen to you argue. Even if it means my life, I don't wanna spend another minute with you lot," she spitely said. "I've not forgiven you for what happened to Kong Kong."

Rachel fell silent. She had been desperate, trying to help this human. I could not understand why she was losing sight so easily - this attempt in guilting us for a human's life shouldn't even be our concern. That was the Yeerk's fault, manipulating this human to every whim.

So she wished to bet her life over her freedom? Fine, it'd make it easier for me to rid of her myself if she'd refuse to cooperate with us any further.

(Are you out of your mind?) Marco uttered. (That Yeerk literally said it was a death trap-)

(Enough. Let's just do it and get over with it.)

I turned back to Prince Jake with surprise, but kept one stern eyestalk on the Controller. (Prince Jake, do you mean to allow this, this _Yeerk_ to lead this mission?)

Jake looked tired, even as a tiger, like he'd spent the day arguing with small children. (Ax, she knows the compound, she knows the security. You want to go the long way 'round all that and leave her behind, unattended? Or do you want her where we can see her?)

(And if this is a trap?)

(Then you get to tell me you told me so and we'll deal with it. It's not like we've never had a plan go sideways, right?)

It was a rather uncanny decision to hear from him but before anyone could disagree with him, he turned to the Controller. (We're keeping an eye on you. You know what will happen if you try anything behind our backs.)

At first, the Yeerk seemed like she was going to remark on that. Suddenly, a wide, happy grin took over her face - the human. Loudly, she hollered, "Yes!" as she swung up and down both fists in one vigorous motion. "Another DA mission."

(DA?) Cassie repeated.

(I've heard of this. It means direct action,) Jake explained, before switching over to private talk. (It's a military term for small-scale raids or sabotage.)

"Hmph," El scoffed. "So you do know human terms."

(Wait a minute. You've done this before?) Marco asked the female human.

"Of course," she said proudly. "There's a lot of things you centaurs don't know what we humans can do."

(Seriously?!) Rachel snapped quietly. (This new attitude of hers!)

Then El's expression changed to apathy. "El, that was an office we snuck in. Not a Yeerk facility."

"Shh! They don't need to know that!" she hissed disappointedly. And that gave us even less confidence on her word.

"Yes, yes. We'd better prepare, El."

(Prepare?) But the human was unexpectedly turning her second artificial skin inside-out instead of replying to Prince Jake. (What are you doing?)

"There are surveillance cameras and security sensors inside. My people cannot know we were here," the Yeerk explained as they dug into her bag.

(C'mon, do you really need to hide your face?) Rachel scoffed. (Your own people already know you.)

The Yeerk pulled out two small artificial skins for her hands and a strange human item I had never seen before.

It was brown and had two color-tinted lens. I wasn't sure what it was or how a human was supposed to use it - however, the human wore it over her head and adjusted it over her eyes.

And once she was finished, swinging her bag back over…

We were left taken aback by this new change of hers. It was almost uncannily similar to something we had seen before and recently. It...left a chill on my spine the more I digested this.

"What?" El uttered. "Never've seen a human change?"

The silence was stiff. None of us could respond.

"C'mon, this is like morphing to you anyway."

(No way,) Marco whispered privately. (This is like a blast from the past…)

Indeed. And it was a frightening thought.

(El-) Prince Jake then stopped, clearing his voice. (Yeerk. Answer me this again. Were you really not at the construction site yesterday?)

She hunched her eyebrow. "Again this question? It's still no, no matter what you say," El replied firmly.

I wanted to say it was a long-fledged lie. But at this point, it'd be denial for me. Would a Yeerk still keep up this lie even with the evidence her host had on herself?

That yellow and black artificial clothing with a piece covering her head, and those familiar attachments.

This human was dressed exactly like how the Andalite-El was wearing before she died.

* * *

:'D I really REALLY APOLOGISE for such a long delay on this. I didn't intend for a month haitus or anything, I was struggling a lot with this one chapter. I ABSOLUTELY wanna thank Artisan219 for helping me build on this.

The one hardest thing for me I think is Ax's character (outside his human morph self btw), especially when you have him within the same space as a Yeerk he is most likely gonna kill. There were also decisions how I wanted this chapter to go and what kind of routes the Animorphs needed to take while handling a Yeerk-host along with them so a lot of brainstorming went into this. Just a note, I do have a kinda general idea how the story should go (except when it comes to the time travelling explanation, that's where I'll be doing maps to figure that out) but sometimes writing more of the situation from just one sentence "they go to the facility" is really hard to figure out. Even with alien tech.

Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter! If something bugs you, please let me know. I am always striving to improve this fic to the best I can. I might have some trouble with the next chapters but do hope I'll get the next up for the biweekly deadline.

Also biggest shoutout to Artisan219's latest fanfic, **Animorphs Reboot #2 The Rescue** and 1st book, **Animorphs Reboot #1 The Fallen**. It's an awesome fic on his take with the Animorphs being older and in our modern time. Give it a shot!

One more thing, I'll be editing small details I had not put or forgotten in previous chapters. They're very small but I see them as important to your readers and to this story.


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